RESUMO
The European Association for the Study of the Liver has recently published updated guidelines on the use of non-invasive tests to identify and stratify chronic liver disease. Here, we provide a summary of the key recommendations from the guideline.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: The importance of the maternal-infant dyad in the genesis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is of increasing interest. The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) showed that at age 24, 1 in 5 had NAFLD measured by transient elastography and controlled attenuation parameter (CAP). Our aim was to investigate the association between breastfeeding duration and maternal pre-pregnancy BMI on offspring NAFLD in young adulthood. METHODS: 4021 participants attended clinic for FibroScan and CAP measurement using Echosens 502 Touch®. 440 participants with Alcohol Use Disorders were excluded. Offspring of 100 non-singleton pregnancies were excluded. 2961 valid CAP measurements for NAFLD were analysed. Exposures of interest were breastfeeding of any duration, ≥6months exclusive breastfeeding, and maternal pre-pregnancy BMI. Multivariable regression models estimated the odds of NAFLD at 24 years. We performed a paternal negative control test to explore residual confounding in the analyses of pre-pregnancy BMI. FINDINGS: There was a modest inverse association of exclusive and non-exclusive breastfeeding ≥6 months having a protective effect on NAFLD in offspring (OR 0·92 [95%CI 0·66-1·27] and OR 0·90 [0·67-1·21] respectively).The odds of offspring NAFLD in overweight pre-pregnancy maternal BMI and paternal BMI was OR 2·09 [1·62-2·68] and OR 1·33 [95%CI 1·07-1·65] respectively, with the ratio of effect sizes OR 1·57 [1·11-2·22]. Similarly, odds of offspring NAFLD with obese pre-pregnancy maternal BMI and paternal BMI was OR 2·66 [1·71-4·14] and OR 1·35 [0·91-2·00] respectively, with the ratio of effect sizes OR 1·98 [1·05-3·74]. INTERPRETATION: Higher maternal pre-pregnancy BMI was associated with offspring NAFLD, having accounted for shared parental confounding. We did not replicate previous work that found a strong association between breastfeeding and NAFLD. FUNDING: Medical Research Council UK, Alcohol Research UK, David Telling Charitable Trust.
RESUMO
Intra-abdominal thromboses are a poorly characterised thrombotic complication of COVID-19 and are illustrated in this case. A 42-year-old man with chronic hepatitis B (undetectable viral load, FibroScan 7.4 kPa) developed fever and cough in March 2020. 14 days later, he developed right upper quadrant pain. After being discharged with reassurance, he re-presented with worsening pain on symptom day 25. Subsequent abdominal ultrasound suggested portal vein thrombosis. CT of the abdomen confirmed portal and mid-superior mesenteric vein thromboses. Concurrent CT of the chest suggested COVID-19 infection. While reverse transcription PCR was negative, subsequent antibody serology was positive. Thrombophilia screen excluded inherited and acquired thrombophilia. Having been commenced on apixaban 5 mg two times per day, he is currently asymptomatic. This is the first case of COVID-19-related portomesenteric thrombosis described in the UK. A recent meta-analysis suggests 9.2% of COVID-19 cases develop abdominal pain. Threshold for performing abdominal imaging must be lower to avoid this reversible complication.