Aims of the meeting: To assess current knowledge about acute liver failure, including its causes, incidence, natural history, management, and prevention. The meeting will also make recommendations for directions for future research, both basic and clinical. Topics will include: epidemiology; current causes and secular trends in distribution of etiologies; natural history and course; specific and nonspecific management; acetaminophen as a cause of liver injury and intentional vs. unintentional acetaminophen overdose; causes of acute liver injury in children and the role of acetaminophen; autoimmunity as a cause of acute liver failure; changes in frequency of viral hepatitis as a cause of acute liver failure; liver transplantation, including living donor liver transplantation; innovative therapies for acute liver failure including hypothermia and role of bioartificial liver support systems and albumin dialysis. The workshop will also focus on needs for future research. A summary of the meeting and these recommendations will be submitted for publication. Sponsored by: The meeting will be sponsored by the Liver Disease Research Branch of the Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) in collaboration with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), and the Office of Rare Diseases (ORD). Organizers: William M. Lee Robert H. Squires, Jr. Scott Nyberg Fei Wang Edward Doo Jay H. Hoofnagle

This page last updated on: 10/24/2006 Return to NIDDK Homepage.