Diagnosis, management and treatment of hepatitis B virus infection: Turkey 2017 Clinical Practice Guidelines

Dear Colleagues, Guidelines provide guidance to physicians in the diagnosis and management of diseases as well as to official authorities in the process of approval and reimbursement. The Turkish Association for the Study of the Liver (TASL) and Viral Hepatitis Society (VHS) have collaborated in the preparation of the first "Viral Hepatitis B, D and C: Diagnosis and Treatment Guideline" in 2015. Viral hepatitis are the most common risk factors posing a threat to liver health in our country while being one of the most dynamic topics in our scientific discipline. Therefore, there is definitely a need to update the guidelines based on the emerging information about diagnosis and treatment. In December 2016, the members of two societies organized for the update of "Turkish Viral Hepatitis Diagnosis and Treatment Guideline 2017" all viral hepatitis experts came together to cover the topics of diagnosis-patient evaluation-treatment-follow-up during and after treatment in instances of viral hepatitis B, C and D and to identify the principles of the guideline in unison. To this end, three different study groups were formed with joint participation of the members. Group I: Chronic Hepatitis B and D; Group II: Chronic Hepatitis C-Pretreatment evaluation (screening, diagnosis of acute-chronic hepatitis C, treatment indications, preparation for treatment), Follow-up of patients during and after treatment; Group III: Chronic Hepatitis C-Treatment. They first came to a consensus among themselves; they then finalized the principles of the guideline with the approval of all the participants. Under these principles, each group prepared a text that they had consensus on and presented this for the approval of all groups. The texts were finalized together with the feedback provided and the condition of 70% consensus was sought. Our guidelines in such an effort was the internationally accepted guidelines like European Association for the Study of Liver (EASL), American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD) and Asian Pacific Association for the Study of Liver (APASL). Drugs approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA), European Medicines Agency (EMA), Japan, Canada and Australia were recommended as treatment regimens. This guideline is supported by the memberships of the TASL and VHS and not by pharmaceutical companies. We hope that "Turkey Viral Hepatitis Diagnosis and Treatment Guideline 2017" will be a useful tool for all of us. With my sincere regards, Sabahattin Kaymakoglu President of TASL Fehmi Tabak President of VHSD