Obesidad: factor de riesgo para esteatohepatitis y fibrosis hepática / Obesity as a risk factor for steatohepatitis and hepatic fibrosis

Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) has been recognized as a cause of chronic liver disease. Its main risk factor is obesity. Aim: To describe the clinical and liver pathological findings in a group of patients who underwent surgery as obesity treatment. Patients and Methods: Sixty eight patients with severe or morbid obesity were subjected to surgery as obesity treatment. Each patient was evaluated with a complete clinical and laboratory medical assessment. A wedge of liver was excised during surgery. Liver biopsies were analyzed without knowledge of clinical and laboratory findings. The presence of steatosis, inflammation (portal or lobular), fibrosis and cirrhosis were recorded in the pathological analysis. Age and body mass index (BMI) were correlated with pathological data. Significance was set at a p value of less than 0.05. Results: Ninety one percent of patients had steatosis, 45 percent inflammation and 47 percent fibrosis. One patient had cirrhosis (1,4 percent). There was a statistically significant association between BMI and moderate or severe steatosis (p <0.03). There was also an association between BMI and portal (p=0.017) and lobular inflammation (p=0.034). A BMI over 40 kg/m2 (morbid obesity) was significantly associated with the presence of fibrosis (p=0.032). Moreover, the presence of moderate or severe steatosis was a risk factor for the development of hepatic fibrosis (p=0.026). Conclusions: Obesity is a major and independent risk factor for steatohepatitis and fibrosis. The degree of steatosis in the liver biopsy, is a risk factor for the development of fibrosis

Heparina e insulina en el tratamiento de la pancreatitis aguda por hipertrigliceridemia: experiencia en 5 casos / Heparin and/or insulin treatment of acute pancreatitis caused by hypertriglyceridemia

Background: Hypertriglyceridemia over 1,000 mg/dl can provoke acute pancreatitis and its persistence can worsen the clinical outcome. On the contrary, a rapid decrease in triglyceride level is beneficial. Plasmapheresis has been performed in some patients to remove chylomicrons from the circulation, while heparin and/or insulin have been administered in some other cases to rapidly reduce blood triglycerides. Heparin and insulin stimulate lipoprotein-lipase activity and accelerate chylomicron degradation. Aim: To report five patients with acute pancreatitis treated with heparin and insulin. Patients and methods: Five patients (4 females and 1 male) seen in the last two years, who suffered acute pancreatitis induced by hypertriglyceridemia are reported. Initial blood triglyceride levels were above 1,000 mg/dl (range 1,590-8,690 mg/dl). Besides the usual treatment of acute pancreatitis, heparin and/or insulin were administered intravenously in continuous infusion. Heparin dose was guided by usual parameters of blood coagulation, and insulin dose, by serial determinations of blood glucose. Pancreatic necrosis was demonstrated in 4 patients. Results: Serum triglyceride levels decreased to <500 mg/dl within 3 days in all cases. No complication of treatment was observed and all patients survived. Early and late complications of pancreatitis occurred in one patient. Conclusion: Administration of heparin and/or insulin is an efficient alternative to reduce triglyceride levels in patients with acute pancreatitis and hypertriglyceridemia

Mecanismos de acción y aplicaciones terapéuticas del ácido ursodeoxicólico en las enfermedades hepáticas colestásicas / Potential mechanisms of action and therapeutic applications of the ursodeoxycholic acid in cholestasis

El ácido ursodeoxicólico es un ácido biliar hidrofílico, que representa una pequeña fracción del pool de ácidos biliares. En las dos últimas décadas, numerosas enfermedades hepáticas colestásicas crónicas (cirrosis biliar primaria, colangitis esclerosante primaria, colestasia intrahepática del embarazo) han sido tratadas con AUDC. Sin embargo, hasta hoy su eficacia sólo ha sido demostrada en la cirrosis biliar primaria, siendo necesario realizar estudios que permitan definir claramente sus indicaciones. Su efecto es mediado por una disminución del daño de los ácidos biliares tóxicos retenidos sobre la membrana celular de los hepatocitos, a través de una estimulación de la secreción biliar, mejoría del flujo biliar y disminución del daño hepático mediado por el sistema inmune

Hígado graso agudo del embarazo: estudio retrospectivo clínico-patológico de 10 casos / Acute fatty liver of pregnancy: retrospective clinical-pathological study in 10 cases

Se estudiaron retrospectivamente 10 casos de Hígado Graso Agudo del Embarazo (HGAE) entre los años 1990 y 2001. Se describen los hallazgos clínicos y de laboratorio de la enfermedad, analizando su asociación con el síndrome hipertensivo del embarazo (SHE) y estableciendo el rol diagnóstico de la biopsia hépatica percutánea de esta patología. Se propone que el desenlace en falla hepática aguda podría gatillarse por eventos precipitantes compartidos por un mismo espectro de enfermedades (HGAE y SHE). Se concluye que el estudio anatomopatológico hépatico es discutido como pilar diagnóstico y se ofrece una aproximación actual al enfrentamiento de esta entidad

Insuficiencia renal aguda en hepatitis aguda no fulminante causada por virus A: caso clínico y revisión de la literatura / Acute renal failure in non fulminant hepatitis A: case report and review

La insuficiencia renal aguda es una complicación excepcional de la hepatitis A no fulminante. Esta asociación ha sido comunicada en alrededor de 30 casos en la literatura, la mayoría proveniente de pacientes japoneses. El proceso exacto a través del cual el virus de la hepatitis A (VHA) produce daño renal es incierto, pero se han postulado varios mecanismos patogénicos, como glomerulonefritis por complejos inmunes, toxicidad por hiperbilirrubinemia, síndrome hepatorrenal, nefritis intersticial aguda y necrosis tubular aguda isquémica, siendo este último el más frecuentemente demostrado en los casos en que se ha realizado biopsia renal. Nosotros reportamos el primer caso en Chile de insuficiencia renal aguda no oligúrica, en un paciente hombre de 16 años, cursando una hepatitis no fulminante por el VHA, de muy buena evolución espontánea, sin requerir diálisis, y en el que no se realizó biopsia renal, por coagulación incompatible y rápida mejoría

Comparación de la eficacia clínica de una inyección intraarticular o intralesional de dos preparados de betametasona en pacientes con artrosis o epicondilitis / Comparative effects of intra articular injections of two betametasone preparations in patients with osteoarthritis or epicondilytis

Background: Local infiltration with corticoids is a simple therapy for rheumatic disorders devoid of systemic adverse reactions. Aim: To compare the efficacy of two betametasone preparations from two different pharmaceutical laboratories in the treatment of patients with osteoarthritis or epicondilytis. Patients and methods: Fourty patients with knee osteoarthritis and 12 patients with epicondilytis were studied. Using a double blind protocol, one of the two betametasone preparations was used for local infiltration of the lesions. The change in a global score of clinical variables including pain and disability was assessed after 30 days of the infiltration. Results: In patients with osteoarthritis, the global score decreased significantly with both preparations, but no differences were observed between preparations (7.3ñ1.8 to 3.9ñ2.3 with preparation A and 7.8ñ1.9 to 3.6ñ2.3 with preparation B). In patients with epicondilytis, pain was also significantly reduced but no differences between preparations was observed (7ñ2.1 to 1.4ñ2.5 for preparation A and 4.6ñ2.8 to 1.2ñ1.6 for preparation B). Conclusions: Local infiltration with both betametasone preparations was equally effective in the treatment of patients with knee osteoarthritis or epicondilytis