Professor Rui Tato Marinho
Course Coordinator

The 4th Advanced Course in Viral Hepatitis was held on 11 October. The event took place in the Auditorium of the Egas Moniz building and attracted 360 registrations, exceeding the number of participants of previous meetings.

Very important hepatology topics were discussed, particularly about hepatitis C, due to the true revolution under way regarding new therapies (triple therapy, interferon treatment using only drugs taken orally). Indeed, new treatments enable the cure of hepatitis C in about 90% of cases. The Gastroenterology and Hepatology Unit has experience in the new therapeutic approaches to hepatitis C.

Economic issues, the multidisciplinary organization of a consultation, hepatocellular carcinoma, and hepatitis B were equally discussed.

For the first time, we had a foreign speaker, Professor Manuel Romero Gomez, from the University of Seville, who spoke about consultation management.

Liver diseases have been increasing in terms of importance and impact in Portugal and in Europe, and they are now the seventh leading cause of death.