Increased incidence of liver enzymes abnormalities in patients treated with isoniazid in combination with disease modifying and/or biologic agents.

Reactivation of latent tuberculosis (LTB) has been described with the use of anti-TNFs. Combined treatment of isoniazid (INH) and disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) can potentially increase the risk of hepatotoxicity. The goal of this study was to investigate the risk of hepatotoxicity in rheumatic patients taking INH while on DMARDs and/or biologics. We reviewed the Institut de Rhumatologie de Montréal database (Rhumadata®) for rheumatic patients with positive tuberculin skin test or quantiFERON who took INH between August 2001 and April 2011. Liver function tests (LFTs) were collected at baseline and during therapy, and LFTs up to 9 months prior to INH initiation were used as controls. Of 922 patients screened for LTB, 87 patients tested positive. During INH treatment, 75.9 % were taking DMARDs, 82.8 % were taking biologics. A total of 375 LFTs performed while on INH were compared to 211 available tests collected prior to INH therapy. Twenty-four percent of the patients had abnormal LFTs during INH compared to 12.1 % prior to INH (p = 0.0481). Most of these abnormalities were mild or transient, but 8 % (seven patients) had significant abnormalities leading to INH discontinuation. Among these patients, mean (min, max) was 241 (52, 617) for AST and 262 (92, 669) for ALT. Although the use of INH therapy in combination with DMARDs and/or biologics was generally well tolerated, the rate of LFT abnormalities was higher when patients were exposed to INH, and significant abnormalities were more frequent than reported in the INH literature. It is prudent to closely follow the LFTs of these patients.

Cardiac alterations in cirrhosis: reversibility after liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Liver cirrhosis induces cardiac alterations. We aimed to define these alterations and assess their reversibility after transplantation. METHODS: Cirrhotic patients (n = 40) and controls (n = 15) underwent echocardiography and stress ventriculography. Fifteen cirrhotics were reevaluated 6-12 months after transplantation. RESULTS: Cirrhotics had higher left ventricular wall thickness (9.6+/-1.2 vs. 8.8+/-1.2 mm; P < 0.05) and ejection fraction (73+/-6 vs. 65+/-4%, P < 0.001) than controls. Basal diastolic function was similar. During stress, cirrhotics presented lower increases of heart rate, left ventricular ejection fraction, stroke volume and cardiac index (P < 0.05 for all), and diastolic dysfunction with lower ventricular peak filling rate (P = 0.001). Exercise capacity was reduced (48+/-21 vs. 76+/-24 W; P < 0.001). Ascitic patients exhibited more diastolic dysfunction at rest and during stress compared to non-ascitic patients. Liver transplantation caused regression of ventricular wall thickness (10.2+/-1.3 vs. 9.5+/-1.2 mm; P < 0.05), improvement of diastolic function, and normalization of systolic response and exercise capacity during stress (significant increases in heart rate, ventricular ejection fraction, stroke volume and cardiac index; P < 0.05 for all). CONCLUSIONS: Cardiac alterations in cirrhosis present with mild increases in ventricular wall thickness, diastolic dysfunction that worsens with ascites and physical stress, and abnormal systolic response to stress limiting exercise capacity. Liver transplantation reverses these alterations.