Chronic hepatitis C afflicts 170 million individuals worldwide and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. We discuss the various modes of acquisition of hepatitis C. Although cirrhosis and its attendant complications including primary hepatocellular cardinoma are the major causes of morbidity and mortality, patients with chronic hepatitis C may also exhibit protean extrahepatic manifestations. On occasion, these dominate the clinical picture and account for serious morbidity and even mortality. Treatment options and definitions of types of responses are clearly delineated.

NUMBER OF CREDIT HOURS: The Harvard Medical School designates this enduring material for a maximum of 2 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

This course should take approximately 2 hours to complete.

COST: $40.00 for the average learner. Participants living in emerging nations receive a 50% discount or can register for free. See our International Pricing Page for details.

OVERALL LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

1. Quantify the risks of infections transmissible by blood transfusions.
2. Appreciate risk factors for transmission of hepatitis C amongst close contacts of infected patients.
3. Understand recommendations for screening of hepatitis C amongst newborns of mothers with chronic hepatitis C infection.
4. Appreciate the different pathological scoring systems for chronic hepatitis C.
5. Learn about the major extra hepatic manifestations of chronic hepatitis C.
6. Implement the guidelines for vaccination in those infected with chronic hepatitis C.
7. Predict treatment response for patients with chronic hepatitis C.
8. Understand the different treatment response categories (Non-response, end of treatment response and sustained virologic response).

CLINICAL LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

1. Improve care of patients with hepatitis C
2. Improve treatment decisions regarding hepatitis C
3. Enhance management of extra-hepatic manifestations of disease

METHOD OF PARTICIPATION:

Registrants participate in the learning process by answering interactive multiple choice questions that are dispersed throughout the case presentation. You must answer a question correctly in order to continue through the course. If you answer a question incorrectly, you will be prompted to try again.

In order to earn credit, physicians must complete the entire educational activity before the termination date (see above). Non-physicians may register for the course but are not eligible for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Instead, non-physicians will earn a certificate of participation after successfully completing the course before its termination date.

COMBINATION OF MEDIA USED:

This internet enduring material is a case-based, interactive presentation comprised mainly of text, interactive questions, and images. A variety of media, including video clips, audio clips, and Flash animation, may be presented. Links to any necessary plugins are provided when necessary, but no plugins are required for general use of the CME website, and you may skip the multimedia presentation(s) within the course if you choose.

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SANJIV CHOPRA, MD Course Director

Dr. Sanjiv Chopra is Professor of Medicine and Faculty Dean for Continuing Medical Education at Harvard Medical School and Senior Consultant in Hepatology at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston. In his role as Faculty Dean for Continuing Education, Dr. Chopra provides oversight and leadership of the Department and oversees the academic development of our programs. Dr. Chopra is an experienced clinician, researcher, and educator. In his research roles, he has served both as a principal investigator as well as co-investigator. He has more than 120 publications and five books to his credit, addressing topics in disease states, patient care, and leadership. Dr. Chopra’s teaching experience is extensive, and he has won numerous teaching awards for his work with medical students, residents and physicians. Currently, he directs and speaks at 10 multiday CME courses, nine of which are through HMS. For his full bio, please click here. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities

BARRY KELLEHER, MD Course Contributor

Dr. Kelleher is an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School and is a Staff Hepatologist at Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities

SANGIK OH, MD Course Contributor

Dr. Oh completed his gastroenterology fellowship at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. During his gastroenterology fellowship, Dr. Oh earned his Masters degree in Medical Science from Harvard Medical School. He was the recipient of 2002 AASLD/Schering Advanced Hepatology Fellowship Award. Upon completion of his fellowship, he joined the faculty at Harvard Medical School as an Instructor of Medicine and as a staff physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. He also served as the fellowship director of hepatology program at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. In 2005, he joined Tacoma Digestive Disease Center, a private GI group in Washington state. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities

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JULES L. DIENSTAG, MD Reviewer

Jules L. Dienstag is the Dean for Medical Education and the Carl W. Walter Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Dienstag received his BA degree from Columbia College in 1968 and his MD degree from the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1972. After 2 years of medical internship and residency at the University of Chicago, Dr. Dienstag joined the U.S. Public Health Service as a Research Associate in the Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda MD. There, between 1972 and 1974, he began his work on viral hepatitis, concentrating on hepatitis A. To see Dr. Dienstag's complete bio, please visit the HMS Office of the Dean page. DISCLOSURE: Please click here for Dr. Dienstag's disclosure.

GRACE HUANG, MD Reviewer

Grace Huang, MD, is the Director of the Office of Educational Technology at the Carl J. Shapiro Institute for Education and Research, a joint venture between HMS and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston. She also works as a hospitalist at BIDMC. She has spent a number of years designing web-based modules on clinical skills, including computer-based case simulations (“virtual patients”), physical diagnosis tutorials, interactive pathophysiology diagrams, and procedure-based instruction. She serves as a consultant to the Association of American Medical Colleges in their initiative to promote scholarship and sharing of educational materials through MedEdPORTAL. Her clinical research interest is in the impact of a formal hospital-based procedure service on complication rates among internal medicine residents. DISCLOSURE: Dr. Huang's spouse works at Pfizer, Inc., and she holds stock options and shares in the same company.

PETER J. ZUROMSKIS, MD Reviewer

Dr. Zuromskis clinical practice in general internal medicine is based in Lexington Center, where he sees 3500 to 4000 patients annually. His focus is on academic quality medicine, and for 2-4 of his sessions weekly, he has resident working under his direction. He maintains an active role in in-patient care. He has served as a member of the Harvard Medical School Admissions Committee, and remains a senior fellow of the Holmes Society where he serves as a designated mentor to 2-3 students. His public health activites involve availability for consultation on matters of nuclear-biologic-chemical warfare/terrorism as a reserve Captain in the US Naval Reserve. He regularly serves as a consultant to Risk Management Foundation as a case reviewer and defense witness. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities

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ANDI LONG, EDM Planner

Andi Long directs the Department of Continuing Education’s Distance Learning group, which offers a variety of online continuing medical education programs to health care professionals around the world. Andi develops strategies for new pilot programs and systematically rolls out new distance learning initiatives and has a leadership role in IT planning and other online processes for HMS DCE. She oversees the day-to-day operations of each distance learning activity and ensures ACCME compliance across all enduring programs. She has had the privilege of working with hundreds of Harvard Medical School Faculty members to develop high-quality, engaging online programs that physicians in more than 170 countries have taken part in. Andi earned her Ed.M. in Technology, Innovation, and Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education and graduated from Bridgewater State College, summa cum laude, with a degree in English. Her professional interests focus on teaching and learning with new technologies and online course development. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities

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NUMBER OF CREDITS: 2 

The Harvard Medical School is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The Harvard Medical School designates this enduring material for a maximum of 2 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

This course should take approximately 2 hours to complete.

Within 2 weeks of completing the course, you will receive your certificate via email.

Click the image to view a sample of the certificate

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