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Alqahtani SA, Stepanova M, Shah D, Al Shabeeb R, Eberly KE, Nguyen V, Ong J, Younossi ZM. Liver Transplantation Profile Among Teenagers in the United States. J Adolesc Health 2024:S1054-139X(24)00245-3. [PMID: 39007787 DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2024.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Revised: 04/24/2024] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE Indications for liver transplantation (LT) vary across age groups. We identified predictors of outcomes for teenage LT waitlisted candidates and recipients in the United States from 2008 to 2022. METHODS The Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients 2008-2022 provided data (clinical, sociodemographic, indications for LT, outcomes) for all teenagers (13-19 years) waitlisted for LT in the United States. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, including primary listing diagnoses, were evaluated and compared by age group (13-16 vs. 17-19 years) among waitlisted teenage candidates. RESULTS There were 2,813 teenage LT candidates listed between 2008 and 2022. The most common LT indication was acute liver disease (23.5%), followed by biliary atresia or hypoplasia (11.9%), autoimmune hepatitis (11.1%), and primary sclerosing cholangitis (9.7%). In contrast, chronic viral hepatitis, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, and alcohol-related liver disease (the most common indications in adults) did not exceed 1% each; 2.8% had hepatocellular carcinoma. Excluding the two most recent years, 67.2% of candidates received a transplant; mean time to transplant was 217.0 days (standard deviation 371.6). Independent predictors of receiving a transplant were a more recent calendar year, younger age, higher model for end-stage liver disease score, and an acute liver disease diagnosis (all p < .05). Among the LT group, 3-year survival was 90%, with an improving survival trend. Higher post-transplant mortality was associated with earlier years of transplantation, older age, having Medicaid, being retransplanted, and having hepatocellular carcinoma (adjusted hazard ratios >1, all p < .05). DISCUSSION Indications for LT among US teenagers are different from adults or younger children. There is a trend toward improved post-transplant outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saleh A Alqahtani
- The Global NASH Council, Washington, D.C.; Organ Transplant Center of Excellence, King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Maria Stepanova
- The Global NASH Council, Washington, D.C.; Beatty Liver and Obesity Research Program, Inova Health System, Falls Church, Virginia
| | - Dipam Shah
- Beatty Liver and Obesity Research Program, Inova Health System, Falls Church, Virginia
| | - Reem Al Shabeeb
- Beatty Liver and Obesity Research Program, Inova Health System, Falls Church, Virginia
| | | | - Veronica Nguyen
- Beatty Liver and Obesity Research Program, Inova Health System, Falls Church, Virginia
| | - Janus Ong
- The Global NASH Council, Washington, D.C.; College of Medicine, University of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines
| | - Zobair M Younossi
- The Global NASH Council, Washington, D.C.; Beatty Liver and Obesity Research Program, Inova Health System, Falls Church, Virginia; Center for Outcomes Research in Liver Diseases, Washington, D.C..
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Kremer AE, Mayo MJ, Hirschfield GM, Levy C, Bowlus CL, Jones DE, Johnson JD, McWherter CA, Choi YJ. Seladelpar treatment reduces IL-31 and pruritus in patients with primary biliary cholangitis. Hepatology 2024; 80:27-37. [PMID: 38117036 PMCID: PMC11191048 DOI: 10.1097/hep.0000000000000728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Pruritus is a debilitating symptom for many people living with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC). In studies with seladelpar, a selective peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-delta agonist, patients with PBC experienced significant improvement in pruritus and reduction of serum bile acids. Interleukin-31 (IL-31) is a cytokine known to mediate pruritus, and blocking IL-31 signaling provides relief in pruritic skin diseases. This study examined the connection between seladelpar's antipruritic effects and IL-31 and bile acid levels in patients with PBC. APPROACH AND RESULTS IL-31 levels were quantified in serum samples from the ENHANCE study of patients with PBC receiving daily oral doses of placebo (n = 55), seladelpar 5 mg (n = 53) or 10 mg (n = 53) for 3 months, and for healthy volunteers (n = 55). IL-31 levels were compared with pruritus using a numerical rating scale (NRS, 0-10) and with bile acid levels. Baseline IL-31 levels closely correlated with pruritus NRS ( r = 0.54, p < 0.0001), and total ( r = 0.54, p < 0.0001) and conjugated bile acids (up to 0.64, p < 0.0001). Decreases in IL-31 were observed with seladelpar 5 mg (-30%, p = 0.0003) and 10 mg (-52%, p < 0.0001) versus placebo (+31%). Patients with clinically meaningful improvement in pruritus (NRS ≥ 2 decrease) demonstrated greater dose-dependent reductions in IL-31 compared to those without pruritus improvement (NRS < 2 decrease). Strong correlations were observed for the changes between levels of IL-31 and total bile acids ( r = 0.63, p < 0.0001) in the seladelpar 10 mg group. CONCLUSIONS Seladelpar decreased serum IL-31 and bile acids in patients with PBC. The reductions of IL-31 and bile acids correlated closely with each other and pruritus improvement, suggesting a mechanism to explain seladelpar's antipruritic effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas E. Kremer
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital Zürich, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Marlyn J. Mayo
- Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases, University of Texas SW Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Gideon M. Hirschfield
- Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Cynthia Levy
- Division of Digestive Health and Liver Diseases, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA
- Schiff Center for Liver Diseases, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Christopher L. Bowlus
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of California Davis, Sacramento, California, USA
| | - David E. Jones
- Clinical and Translation Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | | | | | - Yun-Jung Choi
- CymaBay Therapeutics, Inc., Fremont, California, USA
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Younossi ZM, Stepanova M, Younossi I, Racila A. Validation of a Primary Biliary Cholangitis-Specific Version of Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire: CLDQ-PBC. Clin Transl Gastroenterol 2024:01720094-990000000-00258. [PMID: 38738764 DOI: 10.14309/ctg.0000000000000709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic liver disease, leading to cirrhosis and impairment of patient-reported outcomes. We aimed to develop a PBC-specific version of the Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire (CLDQ) instrument to assess health-related quality of life of patients with PBC. METHODS From our Liver Database, we included patients with PBC who had CLDQ, clinicolaboratory data, and completed Short Form-36 and The Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue. The 29 items of CLDQ were subjected to item reduction, exploratory factor analysis, and fed into a standard instrument validation pipeline. RESULTS Data were available for 108 patients with PBC: 57 ± 11 years, 7% male, 58% cirrhosis, and 24% decompensated cirrhosis (Child B and C). Of 29 CLDQ items, none met the exclusion criteria. Exploratory factor analysis (95% of variance) returned 7 factors. Based on evaluation of factor loadings and face validity, those factors yielded 7 domains (Diet, Emotion, Fatigue, Itch, Symptoms, Sleep, and Worry). Good to excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's α 0.85-0.93) was observed for 5/7 domains. For the remaining 2 domains (Diet and Itch), additional items obtained from patients, experts, and review of the literature were included. For 5 domains, known-group validity tests discriminated between patients with PBC with and without cirrhosis, advanced cirrhosis, and depression ( P < 0.05 for 3-5 domains). The CLDQ-PBC domains were correlated with relevant domains of Short Form-36, CLDQ-PBC Fatigue correlated with Fatigue Scale of Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (rho = +0.85), and CLDQ-PBC Worry domain negatively correlated with alkaline phosphatase (rho = -0.38, P = 0.0082). DISCUSSION The CLDQ-PBC has been developed based on the original CLDQ. The new instrument has evidence for internal consistency and validity and is being fully validated using an external cohort.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zobair M Younossi
- Betty and Guy Beatty Center for Integrated Research, Inova Health System, Falls Church, Virginia, USA
- Center for Outcomes Research in Liver Disease, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Maria Stepanova
- Center for Outcomes Research in Liver Disease, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Issah Younossi
- Center for Outcomes Research in Liver Disease, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Andrei Racila
- Center for Outcomes Research in Liver Disease, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
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MacDonald N, Loh R, Fenkel JM, Sass DA, Halegoua-DeMarzio D. Pharmacotherapy for primary biliary cholangitis: an assessment of medication candidacy and rates of treatment. BMC Gastroenterol 2024; 24:18. [PMID: 38178006 PMCID: PMC10768361 DOI: 10.1186/s12876-023-03108-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ursodeoxycholic acid is the preferred first-line therapy for primary biliary cholangitis. Alternative therapies, such as obeticholic acid, are recommended for patients who cannot tolerate ursodeoxycholic acid or who have an inadequate response to ursodeoxycholic acid monotherapy. Prior investigations have suggested that as many as 30% of patients with primary biliary cholangitis may have never received treatment with ursodeoxycholic acid. No prior investigations have examined usage rates of obeticholic acid in the treatment of primary biliary cholangitis. METHODS All patients with an ICD-10 diagnosis of primary biliary cholangitis who had any records within the health system were included. A review of medical records was performed to confirm the diagnosis of primary biliary cholangitis and determine which medications had been prescribed for treatment, as well as candidacy for second-line therapies. RESULTS A total of 495 patients met inclusion criteria. Notably, 95% of patients were taking ursodeoxycholic acid for treatment of their primary biliary cholangitis, with 67% of patients having disease that was well-controlled on ursodeoxycholic acid monotherapy. In total, 8% of patients were taking obeticholic acid (either as combination or monotherapy). Only 3% would benefit from the addition of a second line therapy but had not yet been offered medication. Only 3% of patients were not on any medication for management of their primary biliary cholangitis. CONCLUSIONS Ursodeoxycholic acid is a readily available and generally well-tolerated medication that should be offered to all patients with primary biliary cholangitis as first-line therapy. While prior investigations have suggested that up to 30% of patients with primary biliary cholangitis may never have received treatment for the disorder, the present study suggests that patients are generally being managed according to guidelines. Moreover, a significant proportion of patients with primary biliary cholangitis will qualify for second line therapies and prescribers should be aware of the indications to use these medications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas MacDonald
- Department of Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, 33 S 9 TH St, Suite 220, 19107, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| | - Rebecca Loh
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, 132 South 10th Street, Suite 480, 19107, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Jonathan M Fenkel
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, 132 South 10th Street, Suite 480, 19107, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - David A Sass
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, 132 South 10th Street, Suite 480, 19107, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Dina Halegoua-DeMarzio
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, 132 South 10th Street, Suite 480, 19107, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Vuppalanchi R, Kowdley KV. Editorial: The evolving paradigms and treatments for primary biliary cholangitis. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2024; 59:280-281. [PMID: 38153286 DOI: 10.1111/apt.17779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
Abstract
LINKED CONTENTThis article is linked to Mayo et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17755 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17798
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Affiliation(s)
- Raj Vuppalanchi
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | - Kris V Kowdley
- Liver Institute Northwest, Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, Washington State University, Seattle, Washington, USA
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Vitulo M, Gnodi E, Rosini G, Meneveri R, Giovannoni R, Barisani D. Current Therapeutical Approaches Targeting Lipid Metabolism in NAFLD. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:12748. [PMID: 37628929 PMCID: PMC10454602 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241612748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD, including nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)) is a high-prevalence disorder, affecting about 1 billion people, which can evolve to more severe conditions like cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma. NAFLD is often concomitant with conditions of the metabolic syndrome, such as central obesity and insulin-resistance, but a specific drug able to revert NAFL and prevent its evolution towards NASH is still lacking. With the liver being a key organ in metabolic processes, the potential therapeutic strategies are many, and range from directly targeting the lipid metabolism to the prevention of tissue inflammation. However, side effects have been reported for the drugs tested up to now. In this review, different approaches to the treatment of NAFLD are presented, including newer therapies and ongoing clinical trials. Particular focus is placed on the reverse cholesterol transport system and on the agonists for nuclear factors like PPAR and FXR, but also drugs initially developed for other conditions such as incretins and thyromimetics along with validated natural compounds that have anti-inflammatory potential. This work provides an overview of the different therapeutic strategies currently being tested for NAFLD, other than, or along with, the recommendation of weight loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuela Vitulo
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy; (M.V.); (E.G.); (R.M.)
| | - Elisa Gnodi
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy; (M.V.); (E.G.); (R.M.)
| | - Giulia Rosini
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, 56021 Pisa, Italy; (G.R.); (R.G.)
| | - Raffaella Meneveri
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy; (M.V.); (E.G.); (R.M.)
| | - Roberto Giovannoni
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, 56021 Pisa, Italy; (G.R.); (R.G.)
| | - Donatella Barisani
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy; (M.V.); (E.G.); (R.M.)
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Sohal A, Kowdley KV. Primary Biliary Cholangitis: Promising Emerging Innovative Therapies and Their Impact on GLOBE Scores. Hepat Med 2023; 15:63-77. [PMID: 37312929 PMCID: PMC10259525 DOI: 10.2147/hmer.s361077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), previously referred to as primary biliary cirrhosis, is an autoimmune disorder leading to the destruction of intra-hepatic bile ducts. If untreated, progressive bile duct damage and cholestasis can lead to ductopenia and result in cirrhosis. Ursodiol, the first drug approved for PBC, has changed the natural history of this disease and improved patient outcomes. Subsequently, several new prediction models incorporating a response to ursodiol were developed. These include the GLOBE score, which was shown to predict long-term outcomes in patients with PBC. In 2016, obeticholic acid (OCA) became the second drug to be approved by the FDA, predominantly based on improvement in alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels. This trial has subsequently influenced the design of clinical trials. Several drugs are currently being evaluated as therapeutic options for PBC, with improvement in ALP being a main endpoint. In this review, we will discuss the impact of new therapies on GLOBE scores in patients with PBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aalam Sohal
- Department of Hepatology, Liver Institute Northwest, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Kris V Kowdley
- Department of Hepatology, Liver Institute Northwest, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Elson Floyd College of Medicine, Spokane, WA, USA
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