Evaluation of Patients With Liver Disease

Overview

The proposed study aims to evaluate, investigate, and follow-up patients suffering from acute and chronic liver disease. The study will focus on understanding diseases affecting the liver. Patients participating in the study will first undergo a routine check-up as an outpatient. They will be asked to provide blood and urine samples for laboratory testing and will undergo an ultrasound of the liver. Ultrasound examinations use sound waves to determine the size and texture of the liver. After the initial visit subjects will be requested to follow-up once a year at the outpatient department for a similar check-up. Additional tests may be requested throughout the study to provide information for other research studies and individual consent will be requested. These tests may include liver biopsies, skin biopsies, and / or specialized blood, plasma, and lymphocyte examinations. Subjects that qualify for medications presently being studied may be offered the opportunity to benefit from experimental therapy.

Study Description: This is a clinical research protocol to allow for collection of samples and data obtained during clinical evaluation and long-term follow up of patients who have an acute or chronic liver disease. The protocol is designed to create a repository to study the natural history and pathogenesis of various liver diseases such as acute and chronic hepatitis B, C, D and E, primary biliary cirrhosis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, Wilson's disease, hemochromatosis, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), noncirrhotic portal hypertension, hepatocellular carcinoma, and cryptogenic or poorly defined forms of chronic liver disease. Samples collected during the course of clinical care for patients with liver disease include blood, saliva, urine, stool, and residual tissue obtained during clinically-indicated liver biopsies not otherwise needed for clinical care. Additionally, subjects with liver disease will be asked to provide a blood sample for genetic analysis. Healthy volunteers will be recruited and asked to provide a blood sample to serve as controls for the genetic analyses. Research will be conducted to investigate genetic factors that may contribute to liver diseases Objectives: Primary Objective To collect data and samples during clinical evaluation, treatment and follow-up of participants for future use in studies of liver diseases Secondary Objective To determine if genetic factors may contribute to the susceptibility, progression, outcome, or treatment success of different liver diseases.