Choice of High-Dose Intravenous Iron Preparation Determines Hypophosphatemia Risk.

BACKGROUND: Ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) and iron isomaltoside 1000 (IIM) are increasingly used because they allow correction of severe iron deficiency in a single infusion. A transient decrease in serum phosphate concentrations is a frequent side effect of FCM. AIM: To characterize this adverse event and search for its predictors in a gastroenterology clinic patient cohort. METHODS: Electronic medical records of patients attending the University Hospital of Innsbruck were searched for the keywords ferric carboxymaltose or iron isomaltoside. Eighty-one patients with documented administration of FCM or IIM with plasma phosphate concentrations before and after treatment were included. RESULTS: The prevalence of hypophosphatemia (<0.8 mmol/L) increased from 11% to 32.1% after treatment with i.v. iron. The hypophosphatemia risk was greater after FCM (45.5%) compared with IIM (4%). Severe hypophosphatemia (<0.6 mmol/L) occurred exclusively after FCM (32.7%). The odds for hypophosphatemia after i.v. iron treatment were independently determined by baseline phosphate and the choice of i.v. iron preparation (FCM vs. IIM-OR = 20.8; 95% CI, 2.6-166; p = 0.004). The median time with hypophosphatemia was 41 days, but prolonged hypophosphatemia of ≥ 2 months was documented in 13 of 17 patients in whom follow-up was available. A significant increase in the phosphaturic hormone intact FGF-23 in hypophosphatemic patients shows that this adverse event is caused by FCM-induced hormone dysregulation. CONCLUSION: Treatment with FCM is associated with a high risk of developing severe and prolonged hypophosphatemia and should therefore be monitored. Hypophosphatemia risk appears to be substantially lower with IIM.

Long-term outcomes of patients with Wilson disease in a large Austrian cohort.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Wilson disease is an autosomal recessive disorder that affects copper metabolism, leading to copper accumulation in liver, central nervous system, and kidneys. There are few data on long-term outcomes and survival from large cohorts; we studied these features in a well-characterized Austrian cohort of patients with Wilson disease. METHODS: We analyzed data from 229 patients diagnosed with Wilson disease from 1961 through 2013; 175 regularly attended a Wilson disease outpatient clinic and/or their physicians were contacted for information on disease and treatment status and outcomes. For 53 patients lost during the follow-up period, those that died and reasons for their death were identified from the Austrian death registry. RESULTS: The mean observation period was 14.8 ± 11.4 years (range, 0.5-52.0 years), resulting in 3116 patient-years. Of the patients, 61% presented with hepatic disease, 27% with neurologic symptoms, and 10% were diagnosed by family screening at presymptomatic stages. Patients with a hepatic presentation were diagnosed younger (21.2 ± 12.0 years) than patients with neurologic disease (28.8 ± 12.0; P < .001). In 2% of patients, neither symptoms nor onset of symptoms could be determined with certainty. Most patients stabilized (35%) or improved on chelation therapy (26% fully recovered, 24% improved), but 15% deteriorated; 8% required a liver transplant, and 7.4% died within the observation period (71% of deaths were related to Wilson disease). A lower proportion of patients with Wilson disease survived for 20 years (92%) than healthy Austrians (97%), adjusted for age and sex (P = .03). Cirrhosis at diagnosis was the best predictor of death (odds ratio, 6.8; 95% confidence interval, 1.5-31.03; P = .013) and need for a liver transplant (odds ratio, 07; 95% confidence interval, 0.016-0.307; P < .001). Only 84% of patients with cirrhosis survived 20 years after diagnosis (compared with healthy Austrians, P =.008). CONCLUSION: Overall, patients who receive adequate care for Wilson disease have a good long-term prognosis. However, cirrhosis increases the risk of death and liver disease. Early diagnosis, at a precirrhotic stage, might increase survival times and reduce the need for a liver transplant.

Advanced-stage hepatocellular carcinoma: transarterial chemoembolization versus sorafenib.

PURPOSE: To compare the efficacies of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) and sorafenib in patients with advanced-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The retrospective analysis of the data was approved by the institutional review board; the requirement to obtain informed consent was waived. Three hundred seventy-two patients with HCC were treated between January 1999 and December 2009. Patients with advanced HCC according to the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging classification (Child-Pugh class A or B, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 1-2, and/or macrovascular invasion or extrahepatic metastasis) were included in the study (n = 97). Thirty-four patients underwent conventional TACE with doxorubicin plus lipiodol or TACE with drug-eluting beads; 63 patients were treated with sorafenib. RESULTS: The median duration of sorafenib treatment was 4.6 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.2, 6.0 months). The median number of TACE sessions per patient was 3 ± 2. Side effects of TACE and sorafenib were comparable to those reported in the literature. The median time to progression was similar between the two treatment groups (P = .737). The median overall survival was 9.2 months (95% CI: 6.1, 12.3 months) for patients treated with TACE and 7.4 months (95% CI: 5.6, 9.2 months) for those treated with sorafenib (P = .377). Only Child-Pugh class was associated with a better overall survival at uni- and multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: TACE achieved a promising outcome in select patients with advanced HCC (BCLC stage C).

Hepatic but not brain iron is rapidly chelated by deferasirox in aceruloplasminemia due to a novel gene mutation.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Aceruloplasminemia is a rare autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disease associated with brain and liver iron accumulation which typically presents with movement disorders, retinal degeneration, and diabetes mellitus. Ceruloplasmin is a multi-copper ferroxidase that is secreted into plasma and facilitates cellular iron export and iron binding to transferrin. RESULTS: A novel homozygous ceruloplasmin gene mutation, c.2554+1G>T, was identified as the cause of aceruloplasminemia in three affected siblings. Two siblings presented with movement disorders and diabetes. Complementary DNA sequencing showed that this mutation causes skipping of exon 14 and deletion of amino acids 809-852 while preserving the open reading frame. Western blotting of liver extracts and sera of affected patients showed retention of the abnormal protein in the liver. Aceruloplasminemia was associated with severe brain and liver iron overload, where hepatic mRNA expression of the iron hormone hepcidin was increased, corresponding to the degree of iron overload. Hepatic iron concentration normalized after 3 and 5months of iron chelation therapy with deferasirox, which was also associated with reduced insulin demands. During short term treatment there was no clinical or imaging evidence for significant effects on brain iron overload. CONCLUSIONS: Aceruloplasminemia can show an incomplete clinical penetrance but is invariably associated with iron accumulation in the liver and in the brain. Iron accumulation in aceruloplasminemia is a result of defective cellular iron export, where hepcidin regulation is appropriate for the degree of iron overload. Iron chelation with deferasirox was effective in mobilizing hepatic iron but has no effect on brain iron.

Sorafenib in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma from mild to advanced stage liver cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND: Few data are available on the safety and efficacy of sorafenib in patients with multifocal hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and advanced liver cirrhosis. METHODS: Between May 2006 and December 2007, we treated 59 patients (Child-Pugh class A/B/C, 26/23/10) with unresectable HCC with sorafenib (daily target dose, 400 mg twice daily). Data were collected retrospectively. Survival curves were calculated via the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: One patient (Child-Pugh class B) had a partial response, 14 patients (Child-Pugh class A/B/C, 5/7/2) had stable disease, and 32 patients (Child-Pugh class A/B/C, 15/11/6) had progressive disease; 12 patients were not evaluable because they had no follow-up radiologic evaluation. In the intention-to-treat group, the median time to progression and overall survival (OS) time were 2.8 months (range, 1.4-6.5 months) and 6.5 months (range, 0.4-17.4 months), respectively. Well-preserved liver function and lower Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage were associated with a longer OS time on univariate analysis. There were four severe gastrointestinal bleedings (grade 4-5; Child-Pugh class B/C, 2/2). Most drug-related side effects were low grade and manageable irrespective of liver function. CONCLUSIONS: Sorafenib is effective and safe in patients with multifocal HCC and Child-Pugh class A cirrhosis. Survival in Child-Pugh class B patients is significantly less than in Child-Pugh class A patients, warranting a prospective randomized trial with a placebo group. Child-Pugh class C patients have a limited life expectancy despite sorafenib treatment because of their severe underlying disease and derive little benefit from sorafenib treatment.

Bactobilia after liver transplantation: frequency and antibiotic susceptibility.

After liver transplantation (LT), bactobilia occurs frequently in patients, leading in some cases to cholangitis and biliary sepsis. The present study is the first to investigate bactobilia after LT, and it gives an overview of predisposing factors for bactobilia, the microbial spectrum in the bile of LT patients, and the antibiotic susceptibility. A total of 172 endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC) procedures were performed in 66 LT patients between 1 month and 5.8 years after LT. Bile samples were examined microbiologically. Sixty-eight nontransplanted patients without cholestasis, but requiring ERC for other reasons served as a control group. Of 172 samples obtained from LT patients, 126 (73.3%) were positive for microbes. A total of 236 organisms were isolated: 114 (48.3%) gram-positive bacteria, 92 (39.0%) aerobic gram-negative, 8 (3.4%) anaerobes, and 22 (9.3%) fungi. Ciprofloxacin and amoxycillin/clavulanic acid showed the best susceptibility results among oral antibiotics and piperacillin/tazobactam and imipenem/cilastatin among intravenous preparations. In contrast, only 15.7% of non-LT patients showed bactobilia. In conclusion, our study shows that bactobilia is a problem in patients after LT and that it is not only a contamination from endoscopic intervention. Mechanical obstruction, plastic stents, gallstones, and papillotomy increase the risk of bactobilia significantly. In our cohort we had the best antibiotic susceptibility results for positive cultures in LT patients with piperacillin/tazobactam, ciprofloxacin, or amoxycillin/clavulanic acid.

Alendronate in combination with calcium and vitamin D prevents bone loss after orthotopic liver transplantation: a prospective single-center study.

Bone loss is a common complication in patients before and after liver transplantation (LT). The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of prophylactic treatment with bisphosphonates after LT in preventing progressive bone loss in LT patients. We included 136 patients with end-stage liver diseases awaiting LT. Bone mineral density (BMD) (by dual X-ray absorptiometry) and markers of bone metabolism were determined before, and 4, 12, 24, 36, and 48 months after LT. All patients received vitamin D and calcium supplementation before and after LT, those with osteopenia or osteoporosis prior to LT were additionally treated with alendronate following LT. Decreased BMD was seen in a high percentage of patients undergoing LT (osteopenia 48.5%, osteoporosis 23.5%). Reduced BMD before LT was not related to gender, underlying liver disease, or Child-Turcotte-Pugh classification. Body mass index (BMI) prior to LT, however, correlated significantly with the fracture risk. Alendronate prevented the ubiquitously observed bone loss after LT in patients with osteoporosis and osteopenia and, in addition, led to an increase in BMD in patients with osteoporosis within 24 months after LT. In conclusion, our study suggests that alendronate is efficacious in preventing the natural course of bone loss associated with LT.

Herbal hepatotoxicity: acute hepatitis caused by a Noni preparation (Morinda citrifolia).

A 45-year-old patient was sent to our department because of highly elevated transaminases and elevated lactate dehydrogenase. His medical history was unremarkable and he took no medication on regular basis. Physical examination did not detect any abnormalities. There was no evidence for viral hepatitis, Epstein-Barr virus or cytomegalovirus, autoimmune hepatitis, Budd-Chiari syndrome, haemochromatosis or Wilson's disease. During the interview he admitted that for 'prophylactic reasons' he had been drinking the juice of Noni (Morinda citrifolia), a Polynesian herbal remedy made from a tropical fruit, during the preceding 3 weeks. This gave rise to the suspicion of herbal toxicity, which was confirmed by a liver biopsy. After ceasing the ingestion of Noni, transaminase levels normalized quickly and were within normal ranges 1 month after the first presentation. To our knowledge, this is the first report of hepatotoxicity caused by this herbal remedy, which has been highly praised in the tabloid press.

Iron supplementation in athletes--first do no harm.

Although it generally does not improve performance, iron is often used by elite athletes. The physiologic changes induced by exercise can mimic iron deficiency and decrease hemoglobin and ferritin concentrations. Determination of serum transferrin receptor concentrations may identify true iron deficiency, which occurs particularly in young athletes. In contrast, increased iron stores in the body are a frequent finding in elite athletes who have used long-term iron supplementation. Elite runners have increased intestinal blood loss, but this usually can be compensated by enhanced absorption of dietary iron. The combination of exercise-induced hemolysis with enhanced intestinal blood loss in various endurance sports leads to severe abnormalities of routine tests, and extreme physical activity may be responsible for positive fecal occult blood determinations. Indiscriminate iron supplementation carries the risk of inducing hemochromatosis in individuals homozygous for the widespread C282Y allele of the HFE gene. This polymorphism is common and can be found in about 1% of individuals of Northern European descent; moreover, iron supplementation can modify the presentation of important underlying diseases such as celiac disease or colon carcinoma. In conclusion, iron supplements should be prescribed for athletes with iron-deficiency anemia and carefully monitored if given for prophylaxis; unless a therapeutic response occurs, investigations to establish the cause of iron deficiency should be initiated.

Impact of high-dose interferon induction and ribavirin therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C relapsing after or not responding to interferon monotherapy.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Initial high-dose interferon-alpha induction therapy in combination with ribavirin improves sustained response rates in treatment-naïve patients. This prospective, randomized, controlled study tested whether non-responders or relapsers to interferon monotherapy also benefit from induction therapy. METHODS: Patients with chronic hepatitis C who had not responded to (n=75) or relapsed (n=80) after previous interferon therapy were randomized to receive three different interferon doses during the first 14 weeks of therapy (A: 10 MU IntronA/day for 2 weeks, followed by 10 MU/2 days for 12 weeks; B:5 MU/d for 14 weeks; C: 5 MU/2 days for 14 weeks) followed in all by 5 MU/2 days for 24 weeks. All patients received 1-1.2 g ribavirin/day throughout the whole study. RESULTS: The rates of viral clearance at any time on treatment were similar in all groups. Sustained response rates were also not different among the groups in interferon nonresponders (A 32%, B 29%, C 31%) and relapsers (A 64%, B 68%, C 71%), respectively, as well as in patients with different genotypes. As expected, sustained response rates were higher in patients with genotype non-1 than in those with genotype 1. CONCLUSION: High-dose induction therapy does not improve the outcome of interferon/ribavirin therapy in interferon nonresponders or relapsers.

Different diets and amino acid supplementation do not affect the voluntary consumption of ethanol by rats.

The effects of four different diets (control diet: 19.5% protein, 60.5% carbohydrate, 10% fat; diet I: 65% protein, 10% carbohydrate, 10% fat; diet II: 5% protein, 76% carbohydrate, 10% fat; diet III: 20% protein, 69% carbohydrate, 1% fat; diet IV: 69% protein, 15% carbohydrate, 1% fat) and supplementation with 3 amino acids (tryptophan: 150 mg/kg/d; arginine: 400 mg/kg/d; taurine: 380 mg/kg/d) on the voluntary consumption of ethanol were investigated in rats using the 2 bottle method. First, rats received the control diet and diets I, II, III and IV for 20 days with a choice of ethanol for the last 6 days only. Ethanol consumption was similar in all dietary groups. Second, rats received the control diet for 8 days followed by diets I, II and IV for another 8 days. Ethanol was offered throughout both periods. The switch to the special diets did not affect ethanol consumption. Third, rats received a control diet with arginine, tryptophan or taurine added to the drinking fluids for 16 days with a choice of ethanol for the last 5 days; thereafter supplementation stopped but the ethanol choice remained. No difference in the voluntary intake of ethanol was noted but ethanol consumption fell after cessation of arginine supplementation. In conclusion, diets differing greatly in their composition or supplementation with these 3 amino acids did not affect the voluntary choice of ethanol by rats in a significant manner.