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Of the individuals infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV), some 80 per cent go on to become chronically viraemic with the attendant risks of chronic liver disease, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Between 1992 and 2001 laboratory reports of HCV infection have steadily increased and the results of seroprevalence testing increasingly reported within the literature are providing more representative information on the current extent and future health burden of the disease.
Over the last few years, the role of histopathology and virology services in the investigation of disease have become increasingly clear, although controversies in the interpretation of results remain the subject of current debate. In parallel with such debate, rapid developments have taken place in terms of the nature and availability of core treatments for HCV disease which have enabled optimum treatment doses and durations to be clarified. Of particular significance have been the studies that have shown that the use of combination therapies significantly increases treatment benefits above the use of monotherapy alone and that the use of such approaches is both clinically effective and cost-effective. Of growing significance are the discussions that centre on the role of the specialist hepatology centre in delivering effective services for HCV disease efficiently, the role of multi-disciplinary clinical teams in enhancing quality of service, and the implications of centrally promulgated resource decisions on local clinical effectiveness.
The current volume provides a comprehensive, fully referenced review of the scientific evidence and expert opinion underpinning the investigation and management of hepatitis C of immediate relevance to specialists in hepatology/gastroenterology, virology, infectious disease and public health and their trainees, to clinical nurse specialists and hospital pharmacists, to commissioners of health services, and to all those colleagues who have an interest in or direct responsibility for the management of HCV disease. |
