Introduction

Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is considered an alternative treatment for patients with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) who have insufficient response to azathioprine (AZA). However, it is hypothesized that MMF may be more effective than AZA to induce remission in treatment-naive patients as well.

Aims & Methods

This study aims to compare the effectiveness of MMF and AZA in inducing remission in patients with treatment-naive AIH. PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane were systematically searched for randomized controlled trials and observational studies. The primary outcome was complete biochemical remission (CBR) at the end of the follow-up period. The secondary outcome was non-response rate. Heterogeneity was examined using I² statistics, and a random-effects model was employed. Review manager 5.4 was used for statistical analyses.

Results

The meta-analysis included 3 studies (1 RCT and 2 observational) and 265 patients (180 in the MMF group vs. 85 in the AZA group). CBR was significantly higher in the MMF group (OR 3.81; 95% CI 1.98 to 7.36; p < 0.0001; I2 = 0%). There was no significant difference between groups regarding the non-response rate (OR 0.46; 95% CI 0.14 to 1.52; p = 0.20; I2 = 53%).

Conclusion

In patients with treatment-naive AIH, MMF is more effective in inducing CBR compared to conventional treatment with AZA. Larger RCTs are needed to consolidate the evidence of MMF's impact on AIH treatment as a first-line agent and to provide concise insights for guiding clinical decisions.

Introduction

Acute esophageal variceal bleeding (EVB) typically requires initial treatment involving pharmacotherapy and endoscopy, particularly endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL). In cases of rebleeding, transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) is recommended, but in regions with limited TIPS access, repeated endoscopic therapy is common. This study evaluates the outcomes of EVL in managing rebleeding and mortality in resource-constrained settings.

Aims & Methods

Patients experiencing acute EVB and undergoing EVL were followed for up to five years or until death. Treatment involved vasoactive drugs and EVL until variceal eradication was achieved. Primary endpoints included bleeding control effectiveness and the need for a second EVL session to manage rebleeding. Rebleeding and mortality rates at 6 weeks and 5 years were analyzed. Logistic regression analysis identified risk factors associated with rebleeding and mortality.

Results

Among 118 patients with acute EVB undergoing EVL, no treatment failures occurred within five days. Eighty-three percent were successfully controlled with one EVL session, while 17% required at least two sessions for recurrent bleeding. In the rebleeding group, no patients rebled within five days after the first EVL, but 75% rebled within 6 weeks. Second EVL was performed for these patients, with a failure rate of 25%. Recurrent EVBs were ultimately controlled by other endoscopic therapy. There was no significant difference in 6-week mortality between rebleeding (15%) and non-rebleeding (18%) groups (p=0.72). Factors associated with 6-week mortality included age, hepatocellular carcinoma, post-bleeding beta-blocker use, creatinine, bilirubin, albumin, Child-Pugh class, and MELD score (Table). Beta-blocker use was associated with preventing recurrent EVB within six months (OR 0.053, 95% CI: 0.004-0.687, p = 0.025). Over five years, the rebleeding group showed a higher mortality trend (90%) compared to the non-rebleeding group (68.8%), though not statistically significant (p=0.06).

Conclusion

In resource-limited settings, multiple attempts of EVL demonstrate success in controlling rebleeding. Long-term trends indicate higher mortality in rebleeding cases, although not statistically significant.

Disclosure

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Introduction

Recent findings suggest a higher risk of progressive liver disease and hepatocellular cancer in first-degree relatives of individuals with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). The familial risk of extrahepatic cancer is, however, unclear.

Aims & Methods

We conducted a nationwide multigenerational cohort study involving all family members of Swedish adults with biopsy-proven MASLD (1969−2017) and of matched general population comparators. We included 36,684 first-degree relatives (FDRs: parents, siblings, offspring) and 8,788 spouses of MASLD individuals as well as 190,501 FDRs and 44,694 spouses of matched comparators without previous diagnosis of any cancer. Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate multivariable adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) and 95% CIs.

Results

Over a median of 24.6 years the incidence rate for any extrahepatic cancer was slightly higher in MASLD FDRs than in comparator FDRs (72.3 vs. 71.9/10,000 person years (PY); aHR 1.04, 95%CI, 1.01−1.08). They were also at slightly higher risk of cancer-related mortality (24.0 vs. 23.6/10,000PY; aHR 1.08, 95% CI, 1.01−1.16). Compared to FDRs of comparators, largest differences were observed in rates of esophagus/stomach cancer (1.8 vs. 1.5/10,000PY; aHR 1.26, 95% CI, 1.01−1.58) and lung cancer (4.9 vs. 4.3/10,000PY; aHR 1.18, 95% CI 1.03−1.35). Across generations of FDRs, the risk of cancer was uniformly increased with no differences by relationship (i.e., parents, siblings, and offspring; p>0.05). MASLD spouses were also at a slightly increased risk of extrahepatic cancer (119.1 vs. 113.4/10,000PY; aHR 1.07, 95%CI, 1.00−1.14) and cancer-related mortality (43.9 vs. 38.8/10,000PY; aHR 1.21, 95%CI, 1.07−1.38). Compared to spouses of comparators, largest differences were observed in rates of colorectal cancer (17.0 vs. 13.4/10,000PY; aHR 1.34, 95% CI, 1.15−1.56).

Conclusion

First-degree relatives and spouses of individuals with biopsy-proven MASLD were at slightly higher risks of incident extrahepatic cancers, suggesting that shared lifestyle factors may contribute to the associations. Absolute cancer risks for family members were low and thus do not motivate implementation of screening programs.

Disclosure

Dr F. Ebrahimi has served as an advisory board member for Boehringer Ingelheim. Dr Ludvigsson has coordinated an unrelated study on behalf of the Swedish IBD quality register (SWIBREG). That study received funding from Janssen Corporation. Dr Ludvigsson has also received financial support from MSD to develop a paper reviewing national healthcare registers in China. Ludvigsson has also a research collaboration on celiac disease with Takeda. The other authors have nothing to disclose.

Introduction

Chronic liver disease, particularly cirrhosis, leads to significant morphological and psychological endocrine changes, which can have an impact on patients' sexual health. Although sexual health is an important parameter of quality of life, it remains little studied in hepatology.

Aims & Methods

The aim of our work is to study the prevalence and degree of sexual dysfunction in male patients with chronic liver disease, and the associated risk factors.
This is a monocentric, comparative, descriptive and analytical study conducted during the year 2023.We included male patients followed for chronic hepatopathies (group 1 (G1)) as well as a control group of subjects followed in gastroenterology consultation presenting no hepatic pathology (group 2(G2)). Exclusion criteria were the existence of overt hepatic encephalopathy, cognitive disorders or active alcohol abuse, limiting the reliability of the survey.
Sexual health was assessed using the IIEF (International Index of Erectile Function) questionnaire, which covers five domains: erection, orgasm, desire, satisfaction with intercourse and overall satisfaction. Two software packages were used for statistical analysis: Jamovi version 2.3.28 and Microsoft Excel.

Results

Our study included 120 patients, 60 followed for chronic liver disease, and 60 without liver pathology (control group).
Mean age was 44.6 years (21-73 years).
In the group of patients with hepatopathies, we found:
34 (65%) cirrhotics, 24 (40%) of whom had a history of decompensation.
18 (30%) HBV, 11(18%) HCV, 5 (8%) NAFLD, 5 (8%) of undetermined cause, 5 (8%) portal hypertension, 4 (6.6%) portal thrombosis, 12 (19.8%) others.
Patients in the liver disease group had more erectile dysfunction, orgasmic dysfunction, disorders of desire, disorders of sexual satisfaction and disorders of overall satisfaction compared with the control group, with respectively 40/60 (66. 6%) vs 16/60 (26.6%) p 0.003; 35/60 (58.3%) vs 14/60 (23.3%) p 0.012; 41/60 (68.3%) vs 10/60 (16.6) p <.001; 38/60 (63.3%) vs 18/60 (30%) p <.001; and 45/60 (75%), vs 17/60 (28.3%) p <.001.
After statistical analysis, cirrhosis was the only statistically significant risk factor for sexual dysfunction in our study (OR 7.9 ;p 0.012).
Moreover, 100% of patients said they had never been asked about their sexual health during a consultation.

Conclusion

Sexual dysfunction is common in patients followed for liver disease, with cirrhosis as the main risk factor. Sexual dysfunction should be systematically screened, with a multidisciplinary approach to the management of these patients.

Introduction

The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) among gastroenterologists is estimated between 39 to 89%. Factors associated with MSDs among endoscopists include a high number of procedures (over 20/week), prolonged procedure times (over 16 hours/week), the age of the endoscopist (> 40 years vs ≤ 40 years), and female sex.
This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of MSD among French gastroenterologists and identify risk factors of MSD

Aims & Methods

A computerized, anonymized questionnaire was e-mailed to all members of French society of endoscopy (SFED) over a one-month period. Demographic data were collected, as well as the level of endoscopic activity performed, the quantity and volume of endoscopies performed per week, the presence of pain associated with the practice of endoscopy, and an assessment of stress.

Results

485 gastroenterologists responded to the questionnaires, the majority were male (55%), with a median age of 48 years (IQR 37–60), and 45.6% practiced endoscopy for more than 20 years. 74.3% of respondents worked full-time, mostly in private practice (47% in private practice, 13% in mixed public-private practice). Endoscopy was performed for a median of 15 hours per week (IQR 10–18.8), with 24 procedures per week (IQR 15–30).
76.3% of participants had already experienced joint and/or musculoskeletal pain related to work. Pain complaints mainly concerned the lower back (55%), shoulders (36% left, 37% right%), neck (50%), and wrists (30% both side). More than half of the participants (55.9%) reported that the pain persisted after procedures, with 17.8% experiencing nocturnal pain and about a quarter reporting pain lasting more than 3 months.
The impact of MSD on workload was evaluated. 5.1% of the gastroenterologists reported loss of efficiency, 3,8% adapted their job, 2.4% decreased their activity, and 2.1% had work stoppage. 35% declared to have management of their MSD (28.1% painkiller, 23.2% reeducation, 3.5% surgery). To reduce discomfort, 74.7% of respondents reported using an adjustable-height examination table, and half adjusted the height and distance of the screen.
In multivariate analysis, factors associated with MSD were, femal sexe (OR 1.85 (1.15-3.01) p = 0.012, number of endoscopy (OR 1.05 (1.01-1.11) p=0.03, activity > 20 years (OR 2.42 (0.89, 6.47) p=0.079.) The risk of MSD was higher after 16.5 hours of endoscopy/ week (Se 35%, Sp 83%).

Conclusion

Musculoskeletal pain among French gastroenterologists is common and concerning. Therefore, it is essential to develop preventive programs to support their health and ensure the quality and safety of care.