Ultrasound liver elastography for the detection of liver fibrosis in patients with psoriasis and reactive arthritis on long-term methotrexate therapy: A cross-sectional study

Busting the myth of methotrexate chronic hepatotoxicity

Methotrexate is a key component of the treatment of inflammatory rheumatic diseases and the mainstay of therapy in rheumatoid arthritis. Hepatotoxicity has long been a concern for prescribers envisaging long-term treatment with methotrexate for their patients. However, the putative liver toxicity of methotrexate should be evaluated in the context of advances in our knowledge of the pathogenesis and natural history of liver disease, especially non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Notably, patients with NAFLD are at increased risk for methotrexate hepatotoxicity, and methotrexate can worsen the course of NAFLD. Understanding the mechanisms of acute hepatotoxicity can facilitate the interpretation of elevated concentrations of liver enzymes in this context. Liver fibrosis and the mechanisms of fibrogenesis also need to be considered in relation to chronic exposure to methotrexate. A number of non-invasive tests for liver fibrosis are available for use in patients with rheumatic disease, in addition to liver biopsy, which can be appropriate for particular individuals. On the basis of the available evidence, practical suggestions for pretreatment screening and long-term monitoring of methotrexate therapy can be made for patients who have (or are at risk for) chronic liver disease.

The Association Between Chronic Plaque Psoriasis and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Indian Patients: Results of a Pilot Study

BACKGROUND

Psoriasis is a chronic dermatosis with potential to cause systemic disease by triggering dysmetabolism, such as metabolic syndrome and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We studied the relationship and associations between NAFLD and clinical features, including age, gender, disease duration, and severity of psoriasis in our patients.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study comprised 61 (m:f, 43:19) patients without pre-existing comorbidities and matched 24 (m:f, 16:8) healthy controls aged between 20 and 68 years. Disease severity was graded as mild, moderate, and severe by psoriasis area and severity index score and body surface area (BSA) involvement. The grades of fatty liver and liver fibrosis were assessed using liver ultrasonography (USG) and transitional vibration-controlled elastography (Fibroscan).

RESULTS

Overall, 67.2% of patients were aged >40 years, and the duration of disease was <5years in 60.7% of patients. Mild and moderate to severe psoriasis occurred in 78.7% and 21.3% of patients, respectively. BSA was >10% in 57.5% patients. The proportion of NAFLD was 27.9% and 32.8% by USG and Fibroscan compared with 20.8% in controls. Statistically, there was no significant difference or association between the prevalence of NAFLD among patients and controls, and gender, age (mean ± standard deviation, 47.5 ± 13.8 vs. 45.2 ± 15.7), duration, severity of psoriasis, and arthritis between psoriatic patients with and without NAFLD.

CONCLUSION

This was a pilot study because of the numerosity of sample and highlights trends for possible link between psoriasis and NAFLD, but the results need cautious interpretation and clinical application. Whether NAFLD can be attributed to overall systemic inflammatory process of psoriasis or it occurs as an epiphenomenon of concurrent metabolic syndrome needs elucidation with well-designed studies. Cross-sectional study design, small number of patients, and controls remain major limitations. The study did not compare its findings with liver biopsy.

Association of Nonalcoholic Hepatic Fibrosis with Body Composition in Female and Male Psoriasis Patients

Psoriasis has been associated with increased frequency of hepatic diseases. Psoriasis severity, obesity, insulin resistance, aspartate aminotransferase level, platelet count, and alcohol use are significant predictors for advanced fibrosis in psoriasis patients. Although psoriasis patients also present body composition changes (e.g., higher overall body fat, visceral fat and sarcopenia), and these have recently been reported as risk factors for hepatic fibrosis, to date, body composition has not been prospectively investigated in psoriasis in the context of liver fibrosis. In this study anthropometric assessment (body weight and body mass index (BMI)), body composition analysis (body fat%, visceral fat scores and muscle mass%), and liver stiffness measurements (using transient elastography [TE]) were done in 52 psoriasis patients undergoing methotrexate therapy. Fourteen patients (26.9%) had advanced (F3–F4) liver fibrosis. There was no correlation between the patients’ liver stiffness values and the cumulative MTX doses. On the other hand, patients with higher BMI values, total body fat% and visceral fat scores were significantly more likely to present with higher hepatic stiffness values. BMI was a significant predictor of hepatic fibrosis in both genders. In males, body fat% (R = 0.578, p = 0.002) and, especially, visceral fat scores (R = 0.716, p < 0.001) had statistically significant correlation with stiffness scores, while in females only visceral fat scores were statistically significant predictors of the liver stiffness values (R = 0.452, p = 0.023), and body fat% was not (R = 0.187, p = 0.382). Our results suggest that anthropometric data should be assessed differently in female and male psoriasis patients when evaluating liver fibrosis risk.

Is methotrexate hepatotoxicity associated with cumulative dose? A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE

Methotrexate (MTX) is widely used in various medical specialties. However, hepatotoxicity is an ongoing concern and this is thought to be directly associated with cumulative dose. We sought to synthesise the published literature to evaluate the association between methotrexate hepatotoxicity and cumulative dose.

METHODS

A systematic review of Medline (PubMed) EMBASE, CINAHL and The Cochrane Library was performed. Full texts of articles were examined, and excluded articles were recorded with reasons for exclusion. A meta-analysis of correlation coefficients was performed using Fisher's z-transformation and a random effects model. Cochran's Q-test and the I² statistic were calculated to assess heterogeneity.

RESULTS

A total of 35 studies met inclusion criteria. Measures of hepatotoxicity were highly varied and included liver biopsy, elastography, FibroTest, biochemical tests and scoring systems (Fib-4, APRI, AST:ALT). Some studies analysed for the association with MTX cumulative dose using more than one modality. Overall, 38 analyses found no significant association between MTX cumulative dose and hepatoxicity vs eight that identified a significant association. The pooled correlation coefficient from five studies which utilised elastography was 0.18 (95% CI, -0.09 to 0.42), with significant heterogeneity between studies (P < 0.0001), I²  = 92%).

CONCLUSIONS

Our synthesis of a large volume of studies in this review found no significant association between MTX cumulative dose and hepatotoxicity, both in terms of vote counting and with regard to the meta-analysis of correlation coefficients from studies that utilised elastography. This challenges the long-held belief that liver injury is a direct result of drug accumulation.