Management of Hepatitis C: 2002
National Institutes of Health
June 10-12, 2002
Summary
The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is one of the leading known causes of liver disease in the United States. It is a common cause of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) as well as the most common reason for liver transplantation. At least 4 million people in this country are believed to have been infected with HCV. Following the identification of hepatitis A and hepatitis B, this disorder was categorized in 1974 as "non-A, non-B hepatitis." In 1989, the hepatitis C virus was identified and found to account for the majority of those patients with non-A, non-B hepatitis. In March 1997, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) held a Consensus Development Conference regarding management and treatment of HCV infection. This led to an important, widely distributed NIH Consensus Statement that, for several years, defined the standard of care.
Now 5 years later, knowledge of hepatitis C has increased dramatically, leading to the need to reexamine the approaches to management and treatment. This conference was convened with the aim of reviewing the most recent developments regarding management, treatment options, and the widening spectrum of potential candidates for treatment and of updating the 1997 Consensus Statement.
Page last updated: November 25, 2008
