Release Date: July 2018
CC: MK, PBL, SBP
Frederick S. Nolte, PhD, D(ABMM), F(AAM)
Medical Director of Clinical Laboratories and Professor and Vice-chair of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC
Description:
It is estimated that 2.7 to 3.9 million people in the US are chronically infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV), with 30,000 new infections per year and approximately 20,000 deaths due to HCV-related liver disease each year. The long term impact of HCV infection is highly variable, ranging from minimal effects to chronic hepatitis, advanced fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). End stage liver disease due to HCV infection is the leading indication for liver transplantation in the US. The development of assays for detection and characterization of HCV has paralleled our understanding of the infection and the introduction of increasingly effective direct acting antiviral therapies with progressively decreasing adverse effects. Serologic and molecular assays for HCV have played major roles in the identification of those with the viral infection, in determining the severity of the disease, and in monitoring the response to therapy. In this program, I will focus on the changing role of these assays, particularly in light of recommendations for expanded routine HCV screening changing the therapeutic landscape.
After attending this session, participants will be able to:
- Understand the rationale for the increased focus on HCV screening, diagnosis, and treatment.
- Describe the current guidelines for laboratory testing of HCV and result reporting.
- Explain the laboratory tests for viral and host factors that are relevant for the treatment of HCV infection in the era of direct acting antiviral agents.
Who should attend? Practicing Pathologists, Residents, Doctoral Scientists, Laboratory Managers, Bench Supervisors, Bench Technologists and Technicians