The 2025 AASLD/IDSA practice guideline establishes an updated, risk-stratified framework for managing chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Addressing six core PICO questions, the guideline advocates shared decision-making, particularly for patients in clinically indeterminate phases or immune-tolerant states. This updated approach lowers the threshold for treatment initiation by incorporating demographic triggers and non-invasive fibrosis assessments instead of routine liver biopsies. Key recommendations emphasize high-barrier nucleos(t)ide analogues, explicit protocols for perinatal transmission prevention, and defined criteria for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) surveillance.

AASLD/IDSA recently published evidence-based practice recommendations, drawing on growing evidence of CHB prevention, surveillance, and treatment, to provide clear, practical guidance for health care professionals in optimizing care for individuals with CHB.

Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a common gut-brain interaction disorder that primarily affects adults and imposes a significant economic burden. Treatment guidelines vary, leading to inconsistencies in management approaches. A randomized, single-blinded trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of subtype-specific treatment vs. empirical proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy in adults with FD. Findings suggest that both treatment approaches significantly improved the overall symptoms and health-related quality of life (HRQoL), with no clear advantage of either, over another in FD management.

In 2016, a young woman in her 20s complained of sudden abdominal pain in the morning which then deteriorated rapidly, and was subsequently admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of Prince of Wales Hospital (PWH). The patient was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease (CD). During her ICU stay, the patient underwent 2 major surgical procedures and received massive blood transfusion due to her severe intestinal bleeding. The patient had been staying in the ICU for 3 months and was discharged from PWH only about 3 years later. This case reminds us of the considerable suffering of the CD patients and the immense challenges of overall disease management. Considering its rising prevalence in Hong Kong, CD is set to increase the medical needs of patients and the disease burden of the society. In an interview with Omnihealth Practice, Dr. Lam, Long-Yan Kelvin talked about the latest advances in CD management and the ongoing difficulties in local clinical practice.