Primary Biliary Cholangitis: Predictors of Poor Response to Ursodeoxycholic Acid after 1 Year of Treatment in Moroccan Patients

Introduction: Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), the new dominance of primary biliary cirrhosis, is a cholestatic disease of autoimmune etiology and represents the leading cause of intra-hepatic cholestasis. Treatment is mainly based on ursodeoxycholic acid. The biological response to treatment is the main predictor of survival without liver transplantation. The Globe-score has been recently validated as the main prognostic factor. Materials and methods: This is a retrospective study carried out in our department collating all cases of PBC followed in consultation. The aim of our work is to research the predictors of poor response to UDCA. Results: 46 patients were collected. The mean age of the patients was 58.82 years, with a predominance of women (n = 43, 93.5%). 34.78% of patients were in the stage of cirrhosis. Anti-M2 mitochondria antibodies were positive in 44 patients (95.65%). An overlap syndrome was found in 11 patients (23.9%). Treatment was based on UDCA combined with corticosteroid therapy and immunosuppressant for overlap syndrome. A biochemical response at 1 year of treatment according to the Paris II criteria was found in 47.8%. The average value of the globe score was 1.35. A score greater than 0.30 was objectified in 20 cases (43.47%). Nineteen cirrhotic patients (41.30%) had a globe score> 0.30. Factors associated with poor response to therapy were: stage of decompensated cirrhosis, elevated pre-therapy total bilirubin greater than 30 g / l and hypoalbunemia less than 35 g / l. The study of the correlation between Globe score and Paris II showed a strong and significant association with a correlation coefficient estimated at 67%. The Paris II score was significantly correlated with the response to treatment (p = 0.001). Conclusion: In accordance with the data in the literature, the globe-score and Paris II are two similar predictive means for evaluating the response at 1 year of treatment in Moroccan context. Keywords: Morocco, Predictors of response, Primary biliary cholangitis, Ursodeoxycholic acid

Prognostic Impact of Alpha Fetoprotein at Diagnosis on Overall Survival of Single Small Hepatocellular Carcinomas

BACKGROUND

Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a serum tumor marker used in the past for surveillance and screening of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with cirrhosis. Its prognostic value is still debated in the literature. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic impact of the AFP rate at diagnosis on the overall survival of patients with a small HCC (<3cm) in patients with cirrhosis.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Among the 122 patients diagnosed with HCC during the study period, 49 patients had a small HCC at diagnosis, including 40,8% (N 20) patients with a negative AFP (group I) and 59,18% (N 29) with an AFP >10 ng / ml (group II). Both groups of patients were comparable for age and WHO status (World Health Organization). Patient survival was assessed by the Kaplan-Meier method. The survival at 5 years was 35.7% in group 1 vs 12.3% in group 2. The AFP level was identified as an independent prognostic factor of survival.

CONCLUSION

Alpha-fetoprotein serum positivity seems to have prognostic value in patients with single small HCC.

Epidemiology of viral hepatitis in the Maghreb

INTRODUCTION

Viral hepatitis represents a serious public health problem in the world especially in the Maghreb where the prevalence of the 5 viruses A, B, C, D, and E remains high and varies from one Maghreb country to another, there is few published studies on these infections in our Maghreb countries.

METHOD OF STUDY

Our work is a review of the literature about prevalence, the most common mode of transmission, and the most exposed population for these viruses in the Maghreb countries through published studies between 2011 and 2017.

RESULT

It has been found that the Maghreb countries are endemic for the five viruses with variable prevalence from one country to another, with sometimes heterogeneous data in the same country. For hepatitis B, Mauritania is the Maghreb country most affected by this infection unlike the rest of the Maghreb countries which are moderately endemic for this virus, the lowest prevalence of VHB was noted in Morocco, the genotype the most common is the D for the majority of Maghreb countries, and the precore mutant profile is also the most common. For hepatitis C the prevalence of infection does not vary much from one Maghreb country to another, but it remains slightly higher in Mauritania. The population most exposed to the virus C in the five countries is hemodialysis patients. The most common genotype in all Maghreb countries is genotype 1 except for Libya, where genotype 4 remains the most common probably related to its borders with Egypt. For hepatitis D, Mauritania is the only Maghreb country with a high endemicity for the virus. Tunisia has the lowest prevalence for hepatitis A and E compared to the rest of the Maghreb countries, all of which are endemic for these two viruses with fecal-oral transmission.

CONCLUSION

The management of these viral hepatitis is costly for the health economy and to reduce their prevalence, prevention measures must be followed like vaccination and improving hygiene conditions.