A real-world study focused on the long-term efficacy of mycophenolate mofetil as first-line treatment of autoimmune hepatitis.

BACKGROUND: Front-line therapy with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) in autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) has shown high on-treatment remission rates. AIM: To study prospectively in a real-world fashion the long-term outcome of a large group of consecutive treatment-naïve AIH patients. METHODS: Between 2000 and 2014, 158 patients were recruited but only 131 were eligible for treatment (109 MMF/prednisolone; 22 prednisolone ± azathioprine). Long-term data on outcome after drug withdrawal were evaluated. Patients stopped treatment after having achieved complete response (normal transaminases and IgG) for at least the last 2 years. RESULTS: At diagnosis, 31.6% of patients had cirrhosis and 72.8% insidious presentation. A total of 102 of 109 (93.6%) responded initially to MMF within 2 (1-18) months. A total of 78 of 109 (71.6%) had complete response on treatment and 61 of 78 (78.2%) maintained remission off prednisolone. MMF-treated patients had increased probability of complete response compared to those receiving azathioprine (P = 0.03). Independent predictors of complete response were lower ALT at 6 months (P = 0.001) and acute presentation (P = 0.03). So far, treatment withdrawal was feasible in 40/109 patients and 30 (75%) are still in remission after 24 (2-129) months. Remission maintenance was associated with longer MMF treatment (P = 0.005), higher baseline ALT (P < 0.02), lower IgG on 6 months (P = 0.004) and histological improvement. CONCLUSIONS: Mycophenolate mofetil proved to be an efficient first-line treatment for AIH, achieving so far the highest rates of remission maintenance off treatment (75%) ever published for at least a median of 2 years, although the remission criteria used were strict. However, the risk of potential bias and overestimation of intervention benefits from MMF cannot be completely excluded as this is a real world and not a randomised controlled trial.

Psychological nursing support for elderly patients undergoing chronic regular haemodialysis.

The elderly constitute a continuously increasing social group of the Hellenic, but also of the global population. This phenomenon is also evident in the haemodialysis patient population, which grows continually. Faced with this reality, Nursing is obliged to adapt itself and, in this effort that it is putting forward it has achieved many positive steps (geriatric nursing). It is imperative however for nursing that there is a particular way of dealing with the elderly, especially those that undergo chronic periodic haemodialysis, which regards as much the problems stemming from the disease, as it regards their grave psychological condition. The objective of our study was to develop the need for the presence of the Nephrology Nurse in the psychological support of the elderly renal patient and we have been able to define: level of communication, level of dietetic information, psycho-social condition and restrictions imposed by the disease. 30 patients (age 65-80, mean 72.92 years) were included with an observation time of 3 years, less than 60% responded positively to the efforts for psychological support, on the basis of the studied factors. The rest did not show any willingness to answer. We conclude that psychological support is of paramount importance for these patients but also that the Nephrology Nurse has not yet discovered and detected some unknown aspects of the different problems arising due to insufficient knowledge of geriatric caring.