Hepatites Virais 2011
- Introduction
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is one of the main causes of
chronic liver disease worldwide [1]. The long-term hepatic
impact of HCV infection is highly variable, from minimal changes
to chronic hepatitis, extensive fibrosis, and cirrhosis with or without hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The number of chronically
infected persons worldwide may exceed 200 million, but most
of them have no knowledge of their infection or of the ensuing
hepatic condition. Clinical care for patients with HCV-related
liver disease has advanced considerably during the last two decades, as a result of growing knowledge about the mechanisms of
the disease, remarkable developments in diagnostic procedures,
and advances in therapeutic and preventative approaches. Still,
various aspects are not yet completely resolved.
These EASL Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) are intended to
assist physicians and other healthcare providers, as well as patients
and interested individuals, in the clinical decision-making process
by describing optimal management of patients with acute and
chronic HCV infections. These guidelines apply to therapies that
are approved at the time of their publication. Several new therapeutic options have completed phase III development for patients
infected with HCV genotype 1 and are currently awaiting licensing
and approval in Europe and the United States. Therefore, the EASL
CPGs on the management of HCV infection will be updated on a
regular basis upon approval of additional novel therapies.
