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Shafrir A, Katz LH, Shauly-Aharonov M, Zinger A, Safadi R, Stokar J, Kalisky I. Low ALT Is Associated with IBD and Disease Activity: Results from a Nationwide Study. J Clin Med 2024; 13:1869. [PMID: 38610634 PMCID: PMC11012492 DOI: 10.3390/jcm13071869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2024] [Revised: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Background: Sarcopenia is underdiagnosed in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Low alanine transaminase (ALT) is associated with sarcopenia. We evaluated the association between low ALT and the presence of IBD and disease activity. Methods: Data were collected from a national Israeli health insurer cohort comprising 976,615 patients. Patients with a diagnosis of IBD were compared to healthy controls. After exclusion of patients with liver disease, ALT > 40 IU/L and age < 18, a total of 233,451 patients were included in the analysis. Low ALT was defined as <10 IU/L. Results: Low ALT was more common amongst patients with IBD than in healthy controls (7.76% vs. 5.7% p < 0.001). Low ALT was found in 148 (7.9%) of the patients with CD and 69 (6.9%) of the patients with UC. For CD, low ALT was associated with increased fecal calprotectin (FC) and CRP (223.00 μg/mg [63.45-631.50] vs. 98.50 [31.98-324.00], p < 0.001, 9.10 mg/L [3.22-19.32] vs. 3.20 [1.30-8.30], p < 0.001) and decreased albumin and hemoglobin (3.90 g/dL [3.60-4.20] vs. 4.30 [4.00-4.50], p < 0.001,12.20 g/dL [11.47-13.00] vs. 13.60 [12.60-14.70], p < 0.001). For UC, low ALT was associated with higher FC and CRP (226.50 μg/mg [143.00-537.00] vs. 107.00 [40.85-499.50], p = 0.057, 4.50 mg/L [1.90-11.62] vs. 2.30 [1.00-6.20], p < 0.001) and with lower albumin and hemoglobin (4.00 g/dL [3.62-4.18] vs. 4.30 [4.10-4.40], p < 0.001, 12.40 g/dL [11.60-13.20] vs. 13.60 [12.60-14.60], p < 0.001). These findings remained consistent following multivariate regression and in a propensity score-matched cohort. Conclusions: Low ALT is more common in patients with IBD and is associated with biochemical disease activity indices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asher Shafrir
- Meuhedet Health Medical Organization, Jerusalem District, Tel Aviv 6203854, Israel
- Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem 1200, Israel; (L.H.K.); (A.Z.); (I.K.)
- Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190500, Israel; (R.S.); (J.S.)
| | - Lior H. Katz
- Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem 1200, Israel; (L.H.K.); (A.Z.); (I.K.)
- Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190500, Israel; (R.S.); (J.S.)
| | - Michal Shauly-Aharonov
- Braun School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190500, Israel;
- The Jerusalem College of Technology, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
| | - Adar Zinger
- Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem 1200, Israel; (L.H.K.); (A.Z.); (I.K.)
- Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190500, Israel; (R.S.); (J.S.)
| | - Rifaat Safadi
- Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190500, Israel; (R.S.); (J.S.)
- The Liver Institute, Hadassah Medical Organization, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
| | - Joshua Stokar
- Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190500, Israel; (R.S.); (J.S.)
- Department of Endocrinology, Hadassah Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190500, Israel
| | - Itay Kalisky
- Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem 1200, Israel; (L.H.K.); (A.Z.); (I.K.)
- Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190500, Israel; (R.S.); (J.S.)
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El-Shabrawi MHF, Tarek S, Abou-Zekri M, Meshaal S, Enayet A, Mogahed EA. Hepatobiliary manifestations in children with inflammatory bowel disease: A single-center experience in a low/middle income country. World J Gastrointest Pharmacol Ther 2020; 11:48-58. [PMID: 32844043 PMCID: PMC7416377 DOI: 10.4292/wjgpt.v11.i3.48] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2020] [Revised: 05/28/2020] [Accepted: 07/01/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND There has been a worldwide increase in the reported incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in children over the past 2-3 decades. The hepatobiliary (HB) manifestations of IBD have been well-studied in children in industrialized and developed countries but are infrequently reported in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) such as Egypt.
AIM To determine the prevalence of the HB manifestations in a cohort of Egyptian children with IBD.
METHODS This cross-sectional observational study was carried out over a period of 6 mo (between June 2013 to December 2013) at the Paediatric Hepatology and Gastroenterology Units of Cairo University Children's Hospital, which is the largest paediatric tertiary care centre in the country.
RESULTS The study included 48 patients with confirmed IBD based upon clinical, laboratory, endoscopic and histopathological features, 29 (60.4%) were male. Twenty-four patients (50%) had ulcerative colitis (UC), 11 (22.9%) had Crohn's disease (CD) and 13 (27.1%) had unclassified-IBD (IBD-U), which was formerly known as indeterminate colitis. The mean age of the patients at the time of presentation was 8.14 (± SD 4.02) years and the mean age at the time of study enrolment was 10.16 (± SD 4.19) years. All patients were screened for HB manifestations by physical examination, liver function tests, imaging and liver biopsy when indicated. HB disorders were confirmed in 13 patients (27.1%). Transaminases were elevated in 3 patients (6.3%). Two patients (4.2%) had elevated biliary enzymes (one was diagnosed as primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and the other was diagnosed with PSC/autoimmune hepatitis overlap syndrome and the third patient had hepatitis C virus infection. Ten patients (20.8%) had bright echogenic liver on ultrasound suggesting fatty infiltration as a sequel of malnutrition or medication toxicity.
CONCLUSION The commonest HB disorders in Egyptian children with IBD were abnormal liver function tests, fatty infiltration and PSC. These HB manifestations in paediatric patients in LMIC may be relatively more common than in industrialized countries. Therefore, IBD patients in LMIC should be meticulously screened for liver disease to allow prompt diagnosis and management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mortada HF El-Shabrawi
- Department of Paediatrics, Kasr Alainy School of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo 11562, Egypt
| | - Sara Tarek
- Department of Paediatrics, Kasr Alainy School of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo 11562, Egypt
| | - Maha Abou-Zekri
- Department of Paediatrics, Kasr Alainy School of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo 11562, Egypt
| | - Safa Meshaal
- Department of Clinical Pathology, Kasr Alainy School of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo 11562, Egypt
| | - Afaf Enayet
- Department of Paediatrics, Kasr Alainy School of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo 11562, Egypt
| | - Engy Adel Mogahed
- Department of Paediatrics, Kasr Alainy School of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo 11562, Egypt
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