Healthcare resource utilization and costs of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis patients with advanced liver disease in Italy
Abstract Background and aims Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) may progress to advanced liver disease (AdvLD). This study characterized comorbidities, healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and associated costs among hospitalized patients with AdvLD due to NASH in Italy. Methods and results Adult nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)/NASH patients from 2011 to 2017 were identified from administrative databases of Italian local health units using ICD-9-CM codes. Development of compensated cirrhosis (CC), decompensated cirrhosis (DCC), hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), or liver transplant (LT) was identified using first diagnosis date for each severity cohort (index-date). Patients progres…
Management of Diabetes in Candidates for Liver Transplantation and in Transplant Recipients.
Diabetes is common in patients wait-listed for liver transplantation due to end-stage liver disease or to hepatocellular cancer as well as in post-transplant phase (post-transplantation diabetes mellitus-PTDM). In both conditions the presence of diabetes severely affects disease burden and long-term clinical outcomes; careful monitoring and appropriate treatment are pivotal to reduce cardiovascular events and graft and recipients' death. We thoroughly reviewed the epidemiology of diabetes in the transplant setting and the different therapeutic options, from lifestyle intervention to antidiabetic drug use - including the most recent drug classes available - and to the inclusion of bariatric …
Effect of different doses of ursodeoxycholic acid in chronic liver disease
Recent clinical studies have indicated that ursodeoxycholic acid (ursodiol), administered at dosages ranging between 10 and 15 mg/kg/day, improves liver function indices in both cholestatic and inflammatory chronic liver diseases. These dosages would be considered high for the use of ursodiol in gallstone dissolution therapy. To investigate the dose-response relationship to ursodiol administration, we planned a few studies in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), and chronic hepatitis (CH). Patients with PBC were subdivided into two groups on the basis of their serum bilirubin values, with 2 mg/dl as the dividing line. Ursodiol was given at dos…
The Effect of Lutein on Eye and Extra-Eye Health
Lutein is a carotenoid with reported anti-inflammatory properties. A large body of evidence shows that lutein has several beneficial effects, especially on eye health. In particular, lutein is known to improve or even prevent age-related macular disease which is the leading cause of blindness and vision impairment. Furthermore, many studies have reported that lutein may also have positive effects in different clinical conditions, thus ameliorating cognitive function, decreasing the risk of cancer, and improving measures of cardiovascular health. At present, the available data have been obtained from both observational studies investigating lutein intake with food, and a few intervention tri…
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in adults 2021: A clinical practice guideline of the Italian Association for the Study of the Liver (AISF), the Italian Society of Diabetology (SID) and the Italian Society of Obesity (SIO).
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common and emerging liver disease in adults, paralleling the epidemic of obesity and diabetes, and leading to worrisome events (hepatocellular carcinoma and end-stage liver disease). In the last years, mounting evidence added insights about epidemiology, natural history, diagnosis and lifestyle-based or drug treatment of NAFLD. In this rapidly evolving scenario, members of the Associazione Italiana per lo Studio del Fegato (AISF), the Società Italiana di Diabetologia (SID) and the Società Italiana dell'Obesità (SIO) reviewed current knowledge on NAFLD. The quality of the published evidence is graded, and practical recommendations are made follow…
Lifestyle Changes for the Treatment of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease - A 2015-19 Update.
Background: Lifestyle interventions aimed at weight loss have been associated with improved liver enzymes, reduced intrahepatic triglyceride content, and improved histology (including reduced fibrosis stage). Objective: To revise the evidence on the beneficial effects of lifestyle changes accumulated since 2015, following the publication of the pivotal Cuban experience with histologic outcome. Methods: A PubMed search covering the period 2015 to July 2019 was carried out. All retrieved references were analyzed and double-checked by authors. Results: 20 new studies were identified; in addition, two relevant studies provided new evidence. Thirteen studies were classified as randomized, contr…