Marina G. Silveira

High-Dose Ursodeoxycholic Acid Is Associated With the Development of Colorectal Neoplasia in Patients With Ulcerative Colitis and Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis

OBJECTIVES:Some studies have suggested that ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) may have a chemopreventive effect on the development of colorectal neoplasia in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). We examined the effects of high-dose (28–30 mg/kg/day) UDCA on the development of colorectal neoplasia in patients with UC and PSC.METHODS:Patients with UC and PSC enrolled in a prior, multicenter randomized placebo-controlled trial of high-dose UDCA were evaluated for the development of colorectal neoplasia. Patients with UC and PSC who received UDCA were compared with those who received placebo. We reviewed the pathology and colonoscopy reports for the development of low-grade or high-grade dysplasia or colorectal cancer.RESULTS:Fifty-six subjects were followed for a total of 235 patient years. Baseline characteristics (including duration of PSC and UC, medications, patient age, family history of colorectal cancer, and smoking status) were similar for both the groups. Patients who received high-dose UDCA had a significantly higher risk of developing colorectal neoplasia (dysplasia and cancer) during the study compared with those who received placebo (hazard ratio: 4.44, 95% confidence interval: 1.30–20.10, P=0.02).CONCLUSIONS:Long-term use of high-dose UDCA is associated with an increased risk of colorectal neoplasia in patients with UC and PSC.

Overlap of autoimmune hepatitis and primary biliary cirrhosis: Long-term outcomes

BACKGROUND:The coexistence of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) and autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) has been called “overlap syndrome,” but diagnosis is challenging and the natural history of this syndrome has not been demonstrated. The importance of the diagnosis of PBC-AIH overlap is due to potential therapeutic options. Patients with PBC should receive ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA); the role of and response to additional immunosuppressive therapy are unknown when AIH overlaps PBC.METHODS AND RESULTS:We reviewed 135 patients with PBC according to a revised scoring system proposed by the International Autoimmune Hepatitis Group (IAHG). Twenty-six patients had features of PBC-AIH overlap and 109 did not. Mean follow-up was 6.1 yr for overlap syndrome patients and 5.4 yr in PBC patients. There was a higher rate of portal hypertension (P = 0.01), esophageal varices (P < 0.01), gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding (P = 0.02), ascites (P < 0.01), and death and/or orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) (P < 0.05) in the overlap group.CONCLUSION:In conclusion, esophageal varices, GI bleeding, ascites, and death and/or OLT were more common in the overlap group. The higher risk of symptomatic portal hypertension and worse outcomes in patients with PBC overlap syndrome may justify the risks of immunosuppressive therapy. Large randomized studies are necessary to establish optimal therapeutic strategies.

Primary sclerosing cholangitis associated with elevated immunoglobulinG4: Clinical characteristics and response to therapy

Steroid responsive biliary strictures in patients fulfilling criteria for primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) have been reported. The clinical course and response to therapy in patients with PSC with elevated immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4) levels has not been investigated previously. Patients with PSC were screened for IgG4-related biliary disease during 2006 to 2008 and data were collected prospectively. A total of 33 out of 285 (12%) patients with PSC (18 males) had elevated IgG4 (>140mg/dL) with a median age of 46 years (interquartile range 29-60); 24 could be evaluated. All patients had both intrahepatic and extrahepatic biliary strictures. Pancreatic disorders were found in 4 (17%), and 11 of 24 (46%) presented with jaundice; 8 of 24 (33%) received biliary stenting for a median time of 4 months (0-6). Liver cirrhosis was diagnosed in 12 of the 24 (50%). Overall, 18 patients were treated with corticosteroids and 6 patients managed conservatively. Nine of 10 patients with elevated bilirubin had improvement. Alkaline phosphatase decreased significantly at 2 months and at last follow-up. IgG4 levels at baseline were 242 (216-357) mg/dL and decreased to 109 (80-236) at 2 months (P < 0.05) and 174 (115-269) at last follow-up (P < 0.05). A total of 39% had adverse effects of steroids, mostly hyperglycemia. Relapses occurred in 7 of the 14 (50%), but biliary stents could be removed in all. Elevated IgG4 levels were observed in 12% of typical patients with PSC. Prevalence of cirrhosis was high, suggesting a severe liver disease course. Most patients had a good biochemical response to steroids, but adverse effects were common. Future work should be directed at finding therapy that is more effective, better tolerated, and of more lasting benefit.

Minocycline in the treatment of patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis: results of a pilot study.

OBJECTIVES: Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a chronic cholestatic liver disease of young adults that is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. No effective medical therapy is available. Minocycline has been found to exert biological effects independent of its antimicrobial properties, including anti‐inflammatory activities such as inhibition of inducible nitric oxide synthase, upregulation of interleukin 10, and direct suppressive effect on B‐ and T‐cell function. Minocycline may also inhibit cell death pathways by reducing both proapoptotic and proinflammatory enzyme activation. We sought to investigate the safety and efficacy of minocycline among patients with PSC. METHODS: We evaluated the efficacy of minocycline in patients with PSC in a pilot study. Sixteen patients with PSC were enrolled. Minocycline, 100 mg orally twice daily, was given for 1 year. RESULTS: A statistically significant improvement in serum alkaline phosphatase activity (330 U/I vs. 265 U/I, P=0.04) and Mayo risk score (0.55 vs. 0.02, P=0.05) occurred with treatment. Serum bilirubin and albumin remained essentially unchanged while on treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this pilot study indicate that minocycline is reasonably well tolerated and potentially effective in patients with PSC. These findings might be explained by the anti‐inflammatory and antiapoptotic properties of minocycline. Though the data presented are too preliminary to support the clinical use of minocycline in the treatment of PSC at this time, its use should be further investigated.

Autoimmune Hepatitis–PBC Overlap Syndrome: A Simplified Scoring System May Assist in the Diagnosis

OBJECTIVES:Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) with features consistent with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) has been described as an overlap syndrome. Recently, a simplified AIH scoring system has been proposed by the International Autoimmune Hepatitis Group (IAIHG), which is based on only four clinical components. We aimed to evaluate the performance of the new simplified AIH scoring system as a diagnostic instrument for PBC–AIH overlap syndrome compared with the revised 1999 IAIHG criteria. Furthermore, we sought to compare the outcome in PBC patients with and without the features of AIH overlap.METHODS:Retrospective analysis of PBC patients was carried out. Parameters relevant to the revised criteria were recorded, and outcomes were compared between those with and without features of overlap.RESULTS:Of 368 patients (318 females) with a definite diagnosis of PBC, 43 (12%) were diagnosed as probable PBC–AIH overlap with the revised criteria and 23 (6%) with the simplified criteria. In both scoring systems the frequency of cirrhosis, portal hypertension, gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, ascites, and esophageal varices was significantly higher in the overlap group at the time of follow-up. Patients with features of overlap according to the new criteria had more frequent liver-related death and liver transplantation (P=0.0025, log rank test).CONCLUSIONS:The simplified AIH scoring system appears to be more specific in patients with PBC and could assist in clinical assessment. Worse outcome was observed in patients with overlap features, demonstrated as increased liver-related mortality with the new criteria. The new criteria should be able to replace the revised criteria for the diagnosis of PBC–AIH overlap syndrome.

Thyroid dysfunction in primary biliary cirrhosis, primary sclerosing cholangitis and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Background/Aims: Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is frequently associated with autoimmune diseases, including thyroid disease, although it is uncertain that this association is higher than in other liver diseases.

American association for the study of liver diseases endpoints conference: Design and endpoints for clinical trials in primary biliary cirrhosis

A group of multidisciplinary experts on primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) and its complications convened on May 31, 2009, under the aegis of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) in order to identify the most appropriate design and endpoints for clinical trials of PBC based on current evidence and expert experience. The natural history of PBC was reviewed as well as current therapies. The current approaches to evaluating therapies for disease progression and symptoms as priorities were discussed. Appropriate aspects of trial design including entry criteria, study duration, and appropriate handling of issues such as stratification of subjects and use of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), were identified and discussed. After a full day of presentations, in a consensus manner, appropriate endpoints for clinical efficacy trials regarding PBC and its complications were agreed upon and are reported in this summary.

Surveillance for Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Patients with Primary Biliary Cirrhosis

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) occurs with increased frequency in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). Effectiveness of surveillance recommendations for HCC is controversial, and data are lacking in patients with PBC. In this study, we attempt to (1) establish the importance of surveillance for HCC in patients with PBC; (2) identify a target population of patients with PBC for HCC surveillance; and (3) propose surveillance recommendations for patients with PBC. We retrospectively identified 36 patients seen at the Mayo Clinic between 1976 and 2007 with a diagnosis of both PBC and HCC. Five patients (14%) were diagnosed incidentally, 17 patients comprised our surveillant population, and 14 patients were diagnosed outside a surveillance program. Patients in the surveillant population were more likely to undergo therapy (88% versus 43%; P = 0.01) and had improved survival (P = 0.002) compared with the nonsurveillant population. All cases of HCC except one were predicted to be at significant risk for HCC based on age, sex, evidence of portal hypertension, and history of blood transfusion using a previous predictive model. Conclusion: We established the importance of surveillance for HCC in patients with PBC. We demonstrated adequate performance of a predictive model and propose it should be refined and used to identify patients with PBC who should be screened for development of HCC. Further studies are needed so that optimal HCC surveillance recommendations in this population can be determined and included in the practice guidelines for PBC. (HEPATOLOGY 2008.)

Optimizing biochemical markers as endpoints for clinical trials in primary biliary cirrhosis

Biochemical tests have been recommended as endpoints for clinical trials in primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) because the use of liver transplantation and death as endpoints in ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) therapeutic trials is unfeasible. The best inclusion criteria cut‐off values and cut‐off for demonstrating treatment success have not been defined.

Treatment of Primary Biliary Cirrhosis: Therapy with Choleretic and Immunosuppressive Agents

Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a chronic cholestatic liver disease of presumed autoimmune etiology affecting predominantly middle-aged women; it is a slowly progressive disease causing loss of intrahepatic bile ducts, resulting in advanced fibrosis, cirrhosis, and liver failure. Many drugs have been studied for treatment, including agents with choleretic and immunosuppressive properties. Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) has been evaluated most widely. After liver failure, the only effective treatment is liver transplantation. Effective therapy reduces the need for transplantation and improves life expectancy. For advanced liver disease or incomplete response to UDCA, new therapies to cure or retard the progression of disease in PBC are needed.