Clinical Dilemmas in Viral Liver Disease

The only evidence-based book to approach viral liver disease by focusing exclusively on the clinical dilemmas encountered by hepatologists and their medical teams

Although viral hepatitis is a growing public health risk around the world, the World Health Organization (WHO) views the elimination of hepatitis infection over the next several as an achievable goal. Effective pharmaceutical therapies are now available, yet medical teams caring for patients with viral hepatitis are challenged when looking for answers to specific questions in the current medical literature. The second edition of Clinical Dilemmas in Viral Liver Disease provides evidence-based guidance for medical teams involved in diagnosing, treating, and managing patients with viral liver disease.

This fully updated book explores developments in new treatments and new diagnostic approaches that are contributing to WHO goals of viral elimination. Brief, easily referenced chapters examine clearly defined topics, addressing the clinical questions and difficulties encountered by medical teams in day-to-day practice. Contributions by an international team of investigators and clinicians address clinical questions and issues which are seldom found in standard textbooks and online repositories. Offering practical guidance on the specific challenges and dilemmas of treating viral liver disease, this unique volume:

    Provides practical, evidence-based guidance on topical and controversial issues
    Addresses understudied questions that arise in day-to-day clinical practice
    Discusses the challenges surrounding global elimination programs
    Presents focused approach that is supported by current literature and expert opinion

The second edition of Clinical Dilemmas in Viral Liver Disease is required reading for practicing and trainee hepatologists, gastroenterologists, transplant surgeons, virologists, and other practitioners involved in caring for patients with liver disease.

Table of contents

Part I: Investigating the Liver

1 Non-invasive markers of fibrosis: how reliable are they?
Laurent Castera

2 Liver biopsy in chronic liver disease: Is there still life left in it?
Michael Curry (Boston)

3 Screening for hepatocellular carcinoma in viral liver disease: Any new biomarkers on the horizon?
Amit Singal

4 Realistic estimates of HCV and HBV disease burden
Homi Razavi

Part II: Today's Therapies

Section 1: HCV

5 Acute hepatitis: treat immediately or give a chance to spontaneously clear?
David Kaplan

6 Is RBV alive or dead in current era of HCV therapy?
Paul Kwo

7 HCV genotype and viral testing, and on treatment monitoring: Necessary or an overkill?
Sirina Ekpanyapong and Reddy

8 Treatment of HCV in renal disease: can we use all the drugs without additional monitoring?
Stanilas Pol

9 Does directly acting antiviral therapy improve quality of life?
Dan Forton

10 Morbid obesity and hepatitis C: treat as normal or are there additional issues to consider?
Manuel Romero Gomez

11 Generic Directly Acting Antiviral Agents (DAAs): Do They Work Well?
Seng Gee Lim (Singapore)

12 Impact and management of patients with multiple HCV genotypes
Peter Ferenci

13 HCV and injecting drug users: What are the challenges
Olav Dalgard

14 HBV reactivation while on HCV DAA therapy: Is that a real concern and when is it a concern?
Marina Serper

15 Drug-drug interactions with DAAs – when do we need to care?
David Back

16 Treatment of hepatitis C in children
Maureen M. Jonas

17 While DAAs are effective, are there any unique safety considerations:
Marc Bourliere

18 Harm reduction strategies to prevent new infections and re-infections among people who inject drugs: How effective are they?
Jason Greberly (Australia)  

19 HCV therapy in advanced liver disease: treat or transplant and treat
Bunchorntavakul and Reddy

20 Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Hepatitis C Virus: Which Should be Treated First?
Massimo Colombo

21 Should we incentivise patients to take HCV therapy
Ed Gane

22 Treating prisoners with hepatitis C – should we do it and how?
William Rosenberg

23 Use of HCV positive organ for uninfected recipients in the era of effective DAAs- PROS and CONS
Sirina Ekpanyapong and K. Rajender Reddy

24 Is real life HCV therapy as effective as in clinical trials?
Joseph Lim-Yale

Section 2: HBV, HDV, and HEV

25 Management of acute HBV infection – when should we offer antiviral therapy?
David John Mutimer

26 Rethinking the Inactive Carrier State: Management of Patients with Low-Replicative HBeAg Negative Chronic Hepatitis B and Normal Liver Enzymes
Maria Buti

27 HBeAg positive chronic hepatitis B infection with minimal changes on liver biopsy – what to do next
Patrick Kennedy

28 The Management of Hepatitis B Virus in Pregnancy
Henry Chan

29 Treatment of hepatitis B in children
Maureen M. Jonas  

30 Hepatitis B Vaccine failures: How do we handle them?
Dani Shouval

31 The stopping rules in HBV therapy: Can we provide any guidance
T Berg

32 Hepatitis C and hepatitis B co-infection
JH Kao (Taiwan)

33 Chronic HEV infection: Is it reality or hype and where does it matter
N Kamar

34 HEV vaccines: Have they arrived -- when, where and for whom?
Rakesh Aggarwal

Part III: Clinical Set-up and the Future

35 Do we need expert HCV treaters or are amateur treaters good enough as we move forward
Shyam Kottilil (University of Maryland)

36 HCV vaccines: how close are we to the promised land?
Ellie Barnes (Oxford)

37 Elimination of HCV in high prevalence, low income countries - is it feasible?
Mahmoud Abdo, MD Dr.Hadeel Gamal Eldeen,

38 HBV diagnostics:  Anything new
Robert Gish

Part V: On-going Controversies

39 Is HCC risk impacted favourably or unfavourably after successful HCV therapy by DAAs
Antonio Craxi

40 Global Elimination of HCV by 2030: The optimistic view
Greg Dore

41 Global Elimination of HCV by 2030: The pessimistic view
Michael Charlton

K. Rajender Reddy MD, FACP, FACG, FRCP is Ruimy Family President Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Professor of Medicine in Surgery, Director of Hepatology, Medical Director of Liver Transplantation, University of Pennsylvania, PA, USA.

Graham R Foster PhD, FRCP is Professor of Hepatology, Queen Mary University of London, Blizard Institute of Cell & Molecular Science, The Royal London Hospital, London, UK.