- Email: [email protected]
HIV and Liver Disease
268
PRINT AND DIGITAL MEDIA REVIEWS
GASTROENTEROLOGY Vol. 143, No. 1
Bottom Line: Managing the Complications of Cirrhosis would be an extremely useful text for the nonhepatologist who cares for patents with liver disease. I believe this would be a very useful short text for hospitalists who now care for the vast majority of hospitalized patients, as well as internists and gastroenterologists who see patients with stable liver disease as part of their general practice on a daily basis. This book would also be useful for fellows training in gastroenterology, but is not intended for the hepatologist whose primary mission is to care for patients with liver disease. It is concise and focused, and the bolded text portions of each chapter highlight the key ingredients of each chapter for the busy clinician. MITCHELL L. SHIFFMAN Liver Institute of Virginia Richmond and Newport News, Virginia HIV and Liver Disease. Kenneth Sherman, editor. 209 pp. $189.00. New York, New York, Springer, 2012. ISBN: 978-1-4419-1711-9 Web address for ordering: www. springer.com
REVIEWER RATING Coverage of relevant topics
夝夝夝夝
Improvement over previously available media
夝夝夝夝夝
Style of presentation and formatting
夝夝夝
Quality of figures
夝夝夝
Overall
夝夝夝夝
Stars: 夝: poor; 夝夝: adequate; 夝夝夝: fair; 夝夝夝夝: good; 夝夝夝夝夝: excellent.
Advances in the treatment of HIV over the past 2 decades have transformed HIV from a diagnosis of certain death to one that requires life-long management. In this context, chronic liver disease has emerged as one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with HIV, in large part owing to the high prevalence of coinfection with hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV), hepatotoxicity from antiretroviral drugs, and comorbid conditions such as alcohol use. Consequently, the management of patients with HIV infection and liver disease requires a multidisciplinary approach, including specialists in infectious diseases, hepatology, addiction medicine, and transplant surgery. In HIV and Liver Disease, editor Kenneth Sherman has assembled an international group of experts who provide a comprehensive review of liver-
related topics pertinent to healthcare providers who care for patients living with HIV. This hardcover, 222-page book is the only published reference dedicated to the topic of liver disease in the context of HIV infection. It contains 22 chapters, of 4 –11 pages each (without references) that cover a wide variety of topics ranging from the epidemiology of HIV in the United States and immunopathogenesis of liver injury in HIV infection, to diagnosis and management of chronic HCV and HBV infections, to novel topics such as racial disparities and quality of life in HIV patients with liver disease. Organization of the chapters into specific categories or themes would have enhanced the flow of the textbook. Most but not all chapters contain summary tables and figures to highlight and clarify important subject matter. The chapter on HIV treatment guidelines, although excellently written, would have been more reader friendly if tables and/or figures had been included. Most of the figures are in color and of good quality, with the chapter on the immunopathogenesis of liver injury a standout in terms of the effective use of figures. The book targets a broad audience of healthcare practitioners—specialists, nonspecialists, students, and allied health professionals—with chapters of interest to all groups. For readers unfamiliar with the management of liver disease, the chapter on noninvasive markers of liver injury and fibrosis is particularly well done, because it highlights the importance of staging liver fibrosis as an integral step in managing patients with chronic liver disease, regardless of etiology. The chapters on natural history of HBV and HCV in HIV-infected persons are succinctly written. The chapter on management of end-stage liver disease deserves special mention, given the increasing incidence of cirrhosis among HIV-infected patients. This chapter provides a comprehensive review for clinicians not familiar of the management of decompensated cirrhosis including recommendations on the management of encephalopathy, ascites, esophageal varices, screening for hepatocellular carcinoma, as well as when to refer for liver transplantation. For the gastroenterologist/hepatologist, the book provides excellent chapters on more HIV-specific topics including the epidemiology of HIV, management of HIV monoinfection, the pathophysiology of liver injury in the HIV patient, and a detailed review on hepatotoxicity related to antiretroviral therapy. The individual chapters dedicated to the management of patients coinfected with HIV–HBV and HIV–HCV include a comprehensive review of the existing literature summarized in practical tables and/or flow charts for easy reference for the clinician. The chapter on HCV treatment is a bit dated, because information on the use of HCV protease inhibitors (boceprevir or telaprevir) for patients with HCV genotype 1 infection is not included. The chapters on HBV replication and mutation, and mechanisms of alcoholic steatosis/steatohepatitis are well written, but do not include any information on how these conditions are modified by HIV infection, leaving the reader wanting more. A chapter
July 2012
CORRECTION
dedicated to the identification and management of alcohol and drug abuse written by substance abuse experts is a thoughtful addition to the textbook, reflecting the importance of substance abuse issues to the outcome of liver disease among HIV-infected patients. Bottom Line: HIV and Liver Disease is a welcomed reference for healthcare practitioners engaged in the management of patients with HIV or liver disease. It provides a succinct update on liver conditions frequently seen in persons living with HIV, as well as excellent supporting chapters on relevant virology, immunopathogenesis, and pathology. Given the impor-
269
tance of these intersecting chronic diseases—HIV and liver diseases caused by HBV, HCV, and alcohol—the availability of this textbook is timely. Those healthcare providers wanting to gain greater expertise in managing liver diseases in their HIV-infected patients will find this book to be a valuable resource. JENNIFER A. FLEMMING NORAH A. TERRAULT University of California San Francisco San Francisco, California
Correction
El-Serag HB. Epidemiology of viral hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Gastroenterology 2012;142: 1264 –1273. In figure 1 of the above article, the box labelled “Men,” in the figure key, should correctly be shaded in the color blue. The box labelled “Women,” in the figure key, should correctly be shaded in the color yellow. The key for figure 1 has been corrected as shown below and in the online version of the article.
PRINT AND DIGITAL MEDIA REVIEWS
GASTROENTEROLOGY Vol. 143, No. 1
Bottom Line: Managing the Complications of Cirrhosis would be an extremely useful text for the nonhepatologist who cares for patents with liver disease. I believe this would be a very useful short text for hospitalists who now care for the vast majority of hospitalized patients, as well as internists and gastroenterologists who see patients with stable liver disease as part of their general practice on a daily basis. This book would also be useful for fellows training in gastroenterology, but is not intended for the hepatologist whose primary mission is to care for patients with liver disease. It is concise and focused, and the bolded text portions of each chapter highlight the key ingredients of each chapter for the busy clinician. MITCHELL L. SHIFFMAN Liver Institute of Virginia Richmond and Newport News, Virginia HIV and Liver Disease. Kenneth Sherman, editor. 209 pp. $189.00. New York, New York, Springer, 2012. ISBN: 978-1-4419-1711-9 Web address for ordering: www. springer.com
REVIEWER RATING Coverage of relevant topics
夝夝夝夝
Improvement over previously available media
夝夝夝夝夝
Style of presentation and formatting
夝夝夝
Quality of figures
夝夝夝
Overall
夝夝夝夝
Stars: 夝: poor; 夝夝: adequate; 夝夝夝: fair; 夝夝夝夝: good; 夝夝夝夝夝: excellent.
Advances in the treatment of HIV over the past 2 decades have transformed HIV from a diagnosis of certain death to one that requires life-long management. In this context, chronic liver disease has emerged as one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with HIV, in large part owing to the high prevalence of coinfection with hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV), hepatotoxicity from antiretroviral drugs, and comorbid conditions such as alcohol use. Consequently, the management of patients with HIV infection and liver disease requires a multidisciplinary approach, including specialists in infectious diseases, hepatology, addiction medicine, and transplant surgery. In HIV and Liver Disease, editor Kenneth Sherman has assembled an international group of experts who provide a comprehensive review of liver-
related topics pertinent to healthcare providers who care for patients living with HIV. This hardcover, 222-page book is the only published reference dedicated to the topic of liver disease in the context of HIV infection. It contains 22 chapters, of 4 –11 pages each (without references) that cover a wide variety of topics ranging from the epidemiology of HIV in the United States and immunopathogenesis of liver injury in HIV infection, to diagnosis and management of chronic HCV and HBV infections, to novel topics such as racial disparities and quality of life in HIV patients with liver disease. Organization of the chapters into specific categories or themes would have enhanced the flow of the textbook. Most but not all chapters contain summary tables and figures to highlight and clarify important subject matter. The chapter on HIV treatment guidelines, although excellently written, would have been more reader friendly if tables and/or figures had been included. Most of the figures are in color and of good quality, with the chapter on the immunopathogenesis of liver injury a standout in terms of the effective use of figures. The book targets a broad audience of healthcare practitioners—specialists, nonspecialists, students, and allied health professionals—with chapters of interest to all groups. For readers unfamiliar with the management of liver disease, the chapter on noninvasive markers of liver injury and fibrosis is particularly well done, because it highlights the importance of staging liver fibrosis as an integral step in managing patients with chronic liver disease, regardless of etiology. The chapters on natural history of HBV and HCV in HIV-infected persons are succinctly written. The chapter on management of end-stage liver disease deserves special mention, given the increasing incidence of cirrhosis among HIV-infected patients. This chapter provides a comprehensive review for clinicians not familiar of the management of decompensated cirrhosis including recommendations on the management of encephalopathy, ascites, esophageal varices, screening for hepatocellular carcinoma, as well as when to refer for liver transplantation. For the gastroenterologist/hepatologist, the book provides excellent chapters on more HIV-specific topics including the epidemiology of HIV, management of HIV monoinfection, the pathophysiology of liver injury in the HIV patient, and a detailed review on hepatotoxicity related to antiretroviral therapy. The individual chapters dedicated to the management of patients coinfected with HIV–HBV and HIV–HCV include a comprehensive review of the existing literature summarized in practical tables and/or flow charts for easy reference for the clinician. The chapter on HCV treatment is a bit dated, because information on the use of HCV protease inhibitors (boceprevir or telaprevir) for patients with HCV genotype 1 infection is not included. The chapters on HBV replication and mutation, and mechanisms of alcoholic steatosis/steatohepatitis are well written, but do not include any information on how these conditions are modified by HIV infection, leaving the reader wanting more. A chapter
July 2012
CORRECTION
dedicated to the identification and management of alcohol and drug abuse written by substance abuse experts is a thoughtful addition to the textbook, reflecting the importance of substance abuse issues to the outcome of liver disease among HIV-infected patients. Bottom Line: HIV and Liver Disease is a welcomed reference for healthcare practitioners engaged in the management of patients with HIV or liver disease. It provides a succinct update on liver conditions frequently seen in persons living with HIV, as well as excellent supporting chapters on relevant virology, immunopathogenesis, and pathology. Given the impor-
269
tance of these intersecting chronic diseases—HIV and liver diseases caused by HBV, HCV, and alcohol—the availability of this textbook is timely. Those healthcare providers wanting to gain greater expertise in managing liver diseases in their HIV-infected patients will find this book to be a valuable resource. JENNIFER A. FLEMMING NORAH A. TERRAULT University of California San Francisco San Francisco, California
Correction
El-Serag HB. Epidemiology of viral hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Gastroenterology 2012;142: 1264 –1273. In figure 1 of the above article, the box labelled “Men,” in the figure key, should correctly be shaded in the color blue. The box labelled “Women,” in the figure key, should correctly be shaded in the color yellow. The key for figure 1 has been corrected as shown below and in the online version of the article.