0000000000470787
AUTHOR
M. Coltorti
Multicentre Survey of the Prevalence of Intrahepatic Cholestasis in 2520 Consecutive Patients with Newly Diagnosed Chronic Liver Disease
In order to establish the prevalence of intrahepatic cholestasis (IHC) in chronic liver disease, we retrospectively evaluated the frequency of increased serum total bilirubin (STB), serum conjugated bilirubin (SCB) and serum alkaline phosphatase (SAP) levels in a cohort of 2520 patients with newly diagnosed chronic liver disease presenting over 2 years. 882 patients (35%) [mean age 52.2 years] had IHC involving abnormal levels of STB (mean 89.8 μmol/L), SCB (mean 52.5 μmol/L), and SAP (mean 5.7 μkat/L) together with a negative ultrasonic scan. Demographic data were not predictive of IHC. IHC was more frequent in patients with cirrhosis (43%), primary biliary cirrhosis (54%), and primary scl…
Role of S-adenosyl-L-methionine in the treatment of intrahepatic cholestasis.
Recent studies have established the clinical efficacy of S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe) in the treatment of cholestasis associated with hepatic diseases, pregnancy and the administration of estrogen-containing oral contraceptives. In 4 clinical trials involving a total of 639 patients with cholestasis due to acute or chronic liver disease, SAMe in an intravenous dose of 800 mg/day or an oral regimen of 1.6 g/day for 2 weeks was superior to placebo in relieving the symptom of pruritus and in restoring serum total bilirubin and serum alkaline phosphatase towards normal. The drug is also effective in intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP), with intravenous administration of 800 mg/day for…