Cingles Info

Houston Conference Will Focus on Patients' Needs in Battling Hepatitis B and
C
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
HOUSTON (September 24, 2002)-Hepatitis magazine, a patient-oriented
magazine, will host its third annual conference Nov. 8-9, 2002 at the
Houston Marriott North at Greenspoint. Hepatitis Magazine Conference 2002,
sponsored by the American Liver Foundation, Texas Liver Coalition, Hepatitis
Support Association, Roche Pharmaceuticals, Schering-Plough and Inside
Houston magazine, has been developed to educate patients, family caregivers,
and (with continuing education hours offered) nurses, addiction counselors,
social workers and professional counselors.
"Our goal is to bring information to the hepatitis community-nurses,
patients, doctors, whoever needs it-because information is the key to making
informed decisions about a person's health care options," said Barbara
Veres, publisher of Hepatitis magazine.
Speakers for Hepatitis Magazine Conference 2002 will include speakers from
around the country-such as Houston's Dr. Joseph Galati of the Texas Liver
Institute and Alan Brownstein, CEO of the American Liver Foundation-and
around the world-such as Dr. Sandro Vento of the University of Verona in
Italy.
Topics covered at the conference will include Latest Hepatitis Treatments,
The Role of Exercise in Treatment, Antivirals and Mental Health, Health Care
Finances, Alternative Treatments, Side Effects Management, The Role of
Nutrition in Treatment, Living with Hepatitis C and Social Security Issues.
This will be the largest patient-oriented conference in the United States
this year dealing with this important disease.
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates from
1996, there are about 4 million Americans with hepatitis C-the viral type
that poses the greatest health risk in this country-2.7 million of whom have
chronic hepatitis C. Those 2.7 million people each face a wide array of
health problems due to their disease. As their livers deteriorate over
time, hepatitis patients will feel a loss of energy, suffer from mental
health disorders, develop skin irritations, have their immune systems
attacked while their livers either develop cancer or careen down the road to
cirrhosis.
The best hope these people have is a drug combination-pegylated interferon
with ribavirin-so toxic that many cannot complete the one-year treatment due
to the debilitating side effects.
And that number-2.7 million chronically infected patients-is growing. When
the CDC made their estimates in 1996, they also estimated that there would
be 40,000 new cases each year, about 30,000 of which would become chronic
infections. By 2010, about 38,000 people will die each year from hepatitis
C. By comparison, 2001 estimates by the CDC show that there are roughly
470,000 people in the United States living with HIV/AIDS.
Hepatitis C is the No. 1 cause of liver transplants in the nation. One
recent report estimated that hepatitis C will cost the United States more
than $600 million each year in lost production and health care costs. In
fact, the average liver transplant alone costs upward of $250,000.
Registration includes two days of informative sessions, a full set of
conference materials, a tote bag, a T-shirt, Friday lunch and the Saturday
lunch banquet, refreshment breaks, and a one-year subscription to Hepatitis
magazine. The pre-registration fee is $95, and on-site registration is
$125.
"We try to make the conference affordable to anyone who wants to come-or
needs to come-and hear the latest in treatments, alternative care and
healthy living for the liver," Veres said.
Hepatitis magazine was introduced in August 1999 by Houston-based Quality
Publishing, Inc., as a bimonthly publication and has a paid and controlled
circulation of 20,000 per issue, with a bonus distribution of 5,000-10,000
each issue.
For more information about the conference or to request a complimentary
copy of the magazine, contact editorial assistant Fran Houle at (281)
272-2744 ext. 133, e-mail info@..., or write to Hepatitis
Magazine, 523 N. Sam Houston Parkway East, Suite 300, Houston, Texas 77060.
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Fran Houle
Editorial Assistant
Hepatitis Magazine
523 N. Sam Houston Pkwy. East, Suite 300
Houston, TX 77060
Ph:(281) 272-2744 x133
Fax:(281) 847-5440