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OBJECTIVE: Concomitant non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and coeliac disease (CD) have not been adequately studied. This study investigated the frequency of CD among NAFLD patients and the clinicopathological and immunological patterns and outcome of concomitant NAFLD and CD. DESIGN: This prospective longitudinal study screened patients with NAFLD for CD (tissue transglutaminase antibodies (TTGA); anti-TTGA and antiendomysial antibodies (EMA)). Patients with concomitant NAFLD and CD and patients with either NAFLD or CD were enrolled and followed. Duodenal biopsy, transient elastography, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, transforming growth factor-beta, interleukins (ILs) 1, 6, 10, 15 and 17, folic acid and vitamins B12 and D were performed at baseline and 1 year after gluten-free diet (GFD). RESULTS: CD was confirmed in 7.2% of patients with NAFLD. Refractory anaemia and nutritional deficiencies were frequent in patients with concomitant NAFLD and CD who had advanced intestinal and hepatic lesions, higher levels of TNF-α, IL-15 and IL-17 compared with patients with CD and NAFLD. Patients concomittant CD and NAFLD showed clinical response to GFD, but intestinal histological improvement was suboptimal. Combining EMA-IgA or anti-TTGA with either IL-15 or IL-17 enhances the prognostic performance of both tests in predicting histological response to GFD. CONCLUSION: Concomitant NAFLD and CD is not uncommon. Recurrent abdominal symptoms, refractory anaemia, nutritional deficiencies in patients with NAFLD warrant screening for CD. The study has important clinical implications since failure in diagnosing CD in patients with NAFLD patients results in marked intestinal and hepatic damage and suboptimal response to GFD that can be alleviated by early diagnosis and initiation of GFD.
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AIM: The therapy of chronic hepatitis C genotype 4 (HCV-4) has not been optimized yet. This randomized, prospective, parallel-group clinical trial compared the efficacy and safety of pegylated interferon α-2a (PEG-IFN α-2a) plus ribavirin and PEG-IFN α-2b plus ribavirin and assessed the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with chronic HCV-4. METHODS: Eligible patients with proven chronic HCV-4 were randomized to receive either a weekly dose of PEG-IFN α-2a (180 µg) or PEG-IFN α-2b (1.5 µg/kg) and a daily dose of ribavirin (1000-1200 mg) for 48 weeks with 24 weeks post-treatment follow-up. The primary end point was sustained virological response (SVR) defined by undetectable HCV RNA 24 weeks after treatment. The Short form-36 Health Survey version 2 (SF-36v2) and the Chronic Liver Disease questionnaires (CLDQ) were assessed before, during and after therapy. RESULTS: The overall SVR rate of the entire cohort was 59.9%. The SVR rates were significantly higher in patients treated with PEG-IFN α-2a and ribavirin (Group A; n=109) compared with those treated with PEG-IFN α-2b and ribavirin (Group B; n=108, 70.6 vs. 54.6%, respectively; P=0.017). The relapse rates were 5.1% for PEG-IFN α-2a and 15.7% for PEG-IFN α-2b (P=0.0019). The SF-36v2 and CLDQ were low during therapy and improved significantly after therapy successful therapy. CONCLUSION: Pegylated interferon α-2a plus ribavirin was significantly more effective than PEG-IFN α-2b and ribavirin therapy in the treatment of chronic HCV-4 patients. The tolerability and adverse events were comparable between the two regimens. The HRQOL improved significantly after successful PEG-IFN α-2a plus ribavirin therapy.