Hepatology

Skyrocketing rates of HCV have aligned with the opioid epidemic—and evidence the need for universal pregnancy screenings.

Though many countries established guidelines and strategies to eliminate the virus by 2030, the region is still behind on newborn virus management.

Hepatology experts review the real-world studies of obeticholic acid for management of PBC, highlighting data that show obeticholic acid could improve clinical outcomes in PBC.

Sonal Kumar, MD, MPH; and Edward Mena, MD, share their approach to managing pruritis brought on by OCA in patients with PBC.

A meta-analysis suggest the correlation between PTH and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is significant enough for it to be biomarker for disease.

A retrospective analysis shows the highly deadly condition has increased 7-fold among US women in the last 2 decades.

International data show conditions including cirrhosis and alcohol-associated liver disease significantly drive the likelihood of critical illness and death in COVID-19 patients.

An update to guidances prioritizes practices that complete RNA testing on all HCV antibody reactive samples in one step, for the sake of complete test rates.

A Lynchburg-based clinic was able to cure hepatitis C in all follow-through patients with substance abuse who underwent a comprehensive care plan over 8 weeks.

Experts in hepatology discuss safety considerations for use of OCA in patients with cirrhosis and decompensated cirrhosis.

Steven Flamm, MD, FAASLD, FACG, reviews the option of using OCA to manage PBC in patients who cannot tolerate UDCA.

A study from Nepal showed a majority of teaching hospital health providers were accidentally exposed to needles. The group additionally had limited knowledge of their HBV vaccination status.

A meta-analysis shows patients with both NAFLD and type 2 diabetes are at significantly greater risk of hepatic decompensation and HCC over a 5-year span.

Direct-acting antivirals or interferon may improve the rate of overall or recurrence-free survival for patients with liver cancer.

A cascade-of-clearance study from the CDC shows the country is far from its goal of eliminating 80% of hepatitis C cases by 2030.

Experts reviews the current treatment landscape for management of PBC, highlighting ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) and obeticholic acid (OCA), as well as liver transplant.

Drs Kris Kowdley, Steven Flamm, Sonal Kumar, Edward Mena, and David Victor discuss their approach to initiating treatment of PBC as well as managing this chronic condition.

Pegozafermin was associated with improvements in fibrosis and could contribute to a resolution of NASH, according to the results of the phase 2b ENLIVEN trial.

A panel of experts reviews the tools available to risk stratify patients with PBC, highlighting the GLOBE score and liver elastography.

Kris Kowdley, MD, FACP, FACG, AGAF, FAASLD, reviews the changes in the screening and diagnosis of primary biliary cholangitis in the recently published CDLF guidelines, as well as when a primary care physician should refer a patient to a specialist to assess disease presence.

Data from a phase 2 substudy of retatrutide indicates use could reduce liver fat content and contribute to resolution of NAFLD in people with NAFLD and obesity.

BOS-580 is an investigational, proprietary, long-acting fibroblast growth factor 21 analog as a monthly and bi-weekly treatment for patients with NASH.

At their annual meeting, the American Diabetes Association debuted updates to their Standards of Care to reflect the approval of teplizumab for delaying the onset of type 1 diabetes and underline the importance of screening for NAFLD in type 2 diabetes.

The treatment, developed by Intercept Pharmaceuticals, could not be approved in its present form, according to the CRL and any resubmission of the treatment for patients with NASH would require at least the successful completion of the long-term outcomes phase of the REGENERATE study.

Experts in hepatology share their approach to diagnosing primary biliary cholangitis and discuss the use of liver biopsies in diagnosis.

Steven Flamm, MD, FAASLD, FACG, reviews the disease burden of primary biliary cholangitis on the patient and their family. He also comments on the impact PBC has on a patient’s mental health.

Patients with anti-HDV antibodies had a significantly higher prevalence of liver cirrhosis, significantly lower prothrombin time, and a higher prevalence of HIV co-infection compared to patients who demonstrated serum anti-HDV antibody negatively.

An analysis of US adults suggests MAFLD affects the Hispanic population at a higher prevalence relative to Black adults and White adults.

Experts in hepatology discuss disease progression of PBC and the long-term complications patients may experience.

David Victor III, MD, comments on the risk factors for PBC and the importance of educating the patient about the disease.