Caffeine elimination in cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic liver disease of different etiology.

ABSTRACT

Caffeine elimination was studied in 419 patients with cirrhotic and noncirrhotic liver disease of different etiology (hepatitis B virus infection n = 79; hepatitis NANB virus infection n = 74; ethanol-induced liver damage n = 143; primary biliary cirrhosis I-IV n = 63; cryptogenic liver cirrhosis n = 60) following oral administration of 366 mg caffeine. Caffeine clearance in the control group was 69 +/- 33 ml/min (age-matched healthy volunteers and patients without liver disease). Caffeine clearance in acute hepatitis B (70 +/- 60 ml/min) chronic persistent hepatitis B (81 +/- 56 ml/min), chronic aggressive hepatitis B (107 +/- 66 ml/min), posthepatitic liver cirrhosis B (84 +/- 62 ml/min), acute hepatitis NANB (94 +/- 69 ml/min), chronic persistent hepatitis NANB (122 +/- 60 ml/min), chronic aggressive hepatitis NANB (87 +/- 52 ml/min) and posthepatitic cirrhosis NANB (59 +/- 26 ml/min) is not reduced in comparison with controls. In patients with alcoholic fatty liver (127 +/- 71 ml/min, p < 0.05) caffeine clearance is enhanced, in alcoholic hepatitis (57 +/- 72 ml/min) comparable to controls and in alcoholic cirrhosis reduced (36 +/- 44 ml/min, p < 0.05). In primary biliary cirrhosis I-IV caffeine clearance is higher than in controls (117 +/- 59 ml/min, p < 0.05). In cirrhotic liver disease of different origin caffeine clearance is inversely related to the serum bilirubin level. However, the absolute value is determined in addition by the underlying disease.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)