Organizers: 

 Sponsors: 

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
National Library of Medicine (NLM)
National Institutes of Health (NIH)

The aims of the workshop are to evaluate current diagnostic criteria and means of assessing causality in drug-induced liver injury and attempt to standardize nomenclature, clinical measurements, causality instruments, and definitions of outcomes. At present, the diagnosis of drug-induced liver injury is complex and not standardized, relying largely on exclusion of other causes of liver disease and identification of a signature pattern of disease manifestations in relation to initiation and discontinuation of the suspected drug or herbal medication. Terms used to define drug-induced liver injury such as possible, probable, likely, and definite are vague and not well understood or standardized. Several instruments have been developed for assessing causality in drug-induced liver injury; but none has been totally satisfactory, and most are not useful clinically and have not been adequately validated for reliability and reproducibility. In the last several years, several networks of investigators have been established to better characterize and analyze drug-induced liver disease, focusing on pathogenesis and also frequency, secular trends, and possible means of prevention or treatment. These networks have used different diagnostic criteria, means of assessment, clinical instruments and definitions for characterization and outcome. This workshop is meant to bring these investigative groups together to agree on common definitions, diagnostic criteria, terminologies, and instruments to assess causality, with the goal of promoting collaborations in assessing clinical as well as mechanistic studies of this uncommon but important form of liver disease. A summary of the workshop will be prepared for publication.  There also will be a poster session during the workshop. A one-page abstract will be due to the workshop coordinator by October 3, 2008, for review and acceptance.

Click here to register for the workshop. On the registration form for the workshop, you will need to indicate if you plan to purchase a lunch both days of the workshop. If you plan to purchase the lunch, you can pay online by credit card when you register. If you have any special food restrictions or choose not to have a lunch ordered for you, please indicate that on the form. NOTE: Registration is FREE for all participants to attend this government-sponsored conference.