Introduction

This two-day conference, chaired by Dr. Yves Benhamou and Dr. Dominique Salmon, brought together nearly 1,000 renowned hepatology and virology experts in the field of HIV and viral hepatitis coinfection from across Europe and the US.

The 29 invited speakers were charged to review the latest scientific evidence in the field and to address a total of 72 questions pertinent to the management of hepatitis C (HCV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections in the HIV-infected population.

In this thoughtful review of the consensus conference, written for publication on the HIV and Hepatitis.com web site, Dr. Nunez summarizes the most important data and proposals presented by the speakers, as well as their proposals on the issues that they were asked to address. She has included input from the audience and the jury panel, and added some of her own comments.

In summarizing the content of the conference, Dr. Nunez has emphasized the most debated issues, the newest data, and the research needs of each specific area.

The jury panel is now working on a consensus document that will be submitted for publication in the May 2005 issue of the Journal of Hepatology. In the meantime, to the best of our knowledge, this document represents the most reliable and comprehensive review of this important meeting currently available.

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