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Matsumoto K, Kikuchi K, Namura Y, Watanabe A, Tsunashima H, Doi S. Histological improvement in chronic hepatitis C-autoimmune hepatitis overlap syndrome by glecaprevir and pibrentasvir. Clin J Gastroenterol 2023:10.1007/s12328-023-01809-7. [PMID: 37118643 DOI: 10.1007/s12328-023-01809-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 04/30/2023]
Abstract
A 60-year-old man with type-2 diabetes and chronic hepatitis C (HCV) was diagnosed with single hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) of 67 mm in the hepatic posterior right lobe. Lenvatinib 8 mg was initiated but discontinued because of grade 3 liver injury. The patient continued to have prolonged liver injury and persistently high immunoglobulin G levels. Antinuclear antibody titer increased from 1:40 to 1:320. Histopathological examination of a liver biopsy specimen revealed interface hepatitis with lymphocyte and plasma cell infiltration, rosette formation, and emperipolesis, suggesting the possibility of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). First, treatment with prednisolone was initiated; however, the response was poor. After starting glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (GLE/PIB) as direct-acting antivirals (DAA), HCV RNA rapidly disappeared, and serological liver function improved. After confirmation of sustained virological response 24, HCC recurrence was observed, and partial hepatectomy was performed. Background liver findings showed that liver parenchymal inflammation improved compared with that before DAA treatment. This is the first case of HCV-AIH overlap syndrome treated with DAA using GLE/PIB. Liver function improved within a short treatment period of 8 weeks, as confirmed using serology and histology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kotaro Matsumoto
- Department of Gastroenterology, Teikyo University Mizonokuchi Hospital, 5-1-1 Futago, Takatsu-Ku, Kawasaki, 213-8507, Japan.
| | - Kentaro Kikuchi
- Fourth Department of Internal Medicine, Teikyo University Mizonokuchi Hospital, Kawasaki, Japan
| | - Yuta Namura
- Department of Gastroenterology, Teikyo University Mizonokuchi Hospital, 5-1-1 Futago, Takatsu-Ku, Kawasaki, 213-8507, Japan
| | - Ayako Watanabe
- Department of Gastroenterology, Teikyo University Mizonokuchi Hospital, 5-1-1 Futago, Takatsu-Ku, Kawasaki, 213-8507, Japan
| | - Hiromichi Tsunashima
- Department of Gastroenterology, Teikyo University Mizonokuchi Hospital, 5-1-1 Futago, Takatsu-Ku, Kawasaki, 213-8507, Japan
| | - Shinpei Doi
- Department of Gastroenterology, Teikyo University Mizonokuchi Hospital, 5-1-1 Futago, Takatsu-Ku, Kawasaki, 213-8507, Japan
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Hsiao SW, Fan CS, Yen HH, Huang SP, Chen YY, Su PY. A retrospective study of prevalence and pattern of international consensus on ANA patterns among patients with hepatitis C virus infection. PeerJ 2022; 10:e14200. [PMID: 36275455 PMCID: PMC9586114 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Background A previous study reported a 30% prevalence of various autoantibodies among patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The International Consensus on Anti-Nuclear Antibody (ANA) Patterns was recently introduced to classify ANA patterns based on immunoassay on HEp-2 cells. There is no previous report with this newly developed classification to evaluate patients with HCV infection. The study aims to study the prevalence and pattern of ANA patterns among HCV-infected patients. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of patients with HCV infection from September 2020 to June 2021 at our institution. A positive ANA is defined as a titer of more than 1:320. We compared patient features among the positive and negative groups. Results Overall, 258 patients were enrolled-184 patients with negative ANA and 74 patients (28.7%) with positive ANA. The mean age was 67.3 in ANA positive group and 61.2 ANA negative group. Female was prominent with ANA positive and accounted for 63.5%. The most detected ANA pattern was AC-1(homogeneous) (25.9%), followed by AC-4(fine speckled) (25.2%) and AC-21(anti-mitochondrial antibody) (9.6%). In ANA positive group, we found a trend of lower HCV viral load (5.72 log10 IU/ML vs. 6.02 log10 IU/ML), lower alanine aminotransferase level (39.5 U/L vs. 44 U/L), and higher advanced fibrosis (F3 and F4) (38.5% vs. 26.1%). In addition, higher positive ANA (more than 1:640) is significantly associated with lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (77.76 vs. 87.94 mL/min/1.73 m2, P = 0.044). Conclusions A high prevalence (28.7%) of ANA was found in patients with chronic hepatitis C. The presence of positive ANA is not related to the severity of their hepatic manifestation. However, higher positive ANA was significantly associated with lower eGFR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shun-Wen Hsiao
- Division of Gastroenterology, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan
| | - Chuan-San Fan
- Division of Gastroenterology, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan
| | - Hsu-Heng Yen
- Division of Gastroenterology, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan,General Education Center, Chienkuo Technology University, Changhua, Taiwan,Department of Electrical Engineering, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan, Taiwan,College of Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Siou-Ping Huang
- Division of Gastroenterology, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan
| | - Yang-Yuan Chen
- Division of Gastroenterology, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan,Division of Gastroenterology, Yuanlin Christian Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan,Department of Hospitality Management, MingDao University, Changhua, Taiwan
| | - Pei-Yuan Su
- Division of Gastroenterology, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan
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Tana MMS, Klepper A, Lyden A, Pisco AO, Phelps M, McGee B, Green K, Feng S, DeRisi J, Crawford ED, Lammert CS. Transcriptomic profiling of blood from autoimmune hepatitis patients reveals potential mechanisms with implications for management. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0264307. [PMID: 35312680 PMCID: PMC8936448 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a poorly understood, chronic disease, for which corticosteroids are still the mainstay of therapy and most patients undergo liver biopsy to obtain a diagnosis. We aimed to determine if there was a transcriptomic signature of AIH in the peripheral blood and investigate underlying biologic pathways revealed by gene expression analysis. Whole blood RNA from 75 AIH patients and 25 healthy volunteers was extracted and sequenced. Differential gene expression analysis revealed 249 genes that were significantly differentially expressed in AIH patients compared to controls. Using a random forest algorithm, we determined that less than 10 genes were sufficient to differentiate the two groups in our cohort. Interferon signaling was more active in AIH samples compared to controls, regardless of treatment status. Pegivirus sequences were detected in five AIH samples and 1 healthy sample. The gene expression data and clinical metadata were used to determine 12 genes that were significantly associated with advanced fibrosis in AIH. AIH patients with a partial response to therapy demonstrated decreased evidence of a CD8+ T cell gene expression signal. These findings represent progress in understanding a disease in need of better tests, therapies, and biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele May-Sien Tana
- University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States of America
- UCSF Liver Center, San Francisco, CA, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Arielle Klepper
- University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States of America
| | - Amy Lyden
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA, United States of America
| | | | - Maira Phelps
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA, United States of America
| | - Breann McGee
- University of Indiana, Bloomington, IN, United States of America
| | - Kelsey Green
- University of Indiana, Bloomington, IN, United States of America
| | - Sandy Feng
- University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States of America
- UCSF Liver Center, San Francisco, CA, United States of America
| | - Joseph DeRisi
- University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States of America
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA, United States of America
| | - Emily Dawn Crawford
- University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States of America
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA, United States of America
| | - Craig S. Lammert
- University of Indiana, Bloomington, IN, United States of America
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Saldarriaga OA, Dye B, Pham J, Wanninger TG, Millian D, Kueht M, Freiberg B, Utay N, Stevenson HL. Comparison of liver biopsies before and after direct-acting antiviral therapy for hepatitis C and correlation with clinical outcome. Sci Rep 2021; 11:14506. [PMID: 34267267 PMCID: PMC8282660 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-93881-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Direct-acting antivirals (DAA) have replaced interferon (IFN)-based therapies for hepatitis C virus. In this retrospective clinical study, we examined differences in histopathologic features in paired liver biopsies collected from the same patient before and after DAA and correlated these findings with clinical outcome. Biopsies (n = 19) were evaluated by quantitative imaging analysis to measure steatosis and fibrosis. Most patients had decreased steatosis in their post-treatment, follow-up biopsies. However, one patient had a striking increase in steatosis (from 0.86 to 6.32%) and later developed decompensated cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This patient had a marked increase in fibrosis between biopsies, with a CPA of 6.74 to 32.02. Another patient, who already had bridging fibrosis at the time of her pre-treatment biopsy, developed cholangiocarcinoma after DAA. Even though the overall inflammatory activity in the post-treatment biopsies significantly decreased after treatment, 60% of patients had persistent portal lymphocytic inflammation. In summary, DAAs decreased steatosis and hepatic inflammation in most patients, although some may have persistence of lymphocytic portal inflammation. Patients known to have advanced fibrosis at treatment initiation and who have other risk factors for ongoing liver injury, such as steatosis, should be followed closely for the development of adverse outcomes, such as portal hypertension and primary liver cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omar A Saldarriaga
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX, 77555-0144, USA
| | - Bradley Dye
- School of Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX, 77555-0144, USA
| | - Judy Pham
- School of Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX, 77555-0144, USA
| | - Timothy G Wanninger
- School of Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX, 77555-0144, USA
| | - Daniel Millian
- School of Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX, 77555-0144, USA
| | - Michael Kueht
- Dept. of Surgery, University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX, 77555-0144, USA
| | - Benjamin Freiberg
- Digital Pathology, Araceli Biosciences, 7425 NE Evergreen Pkwy, Hillsboro, OR, 97124, USA
| | - Netanya Utay
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 7000 Fannin St # 1200, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Heather L Stevenson
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX, 77555-0144, USA.
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, 712 Texas Avenue, Clinical Services Wing-Room 5.506Q, Galveston, TX, 77555-0416, USA.
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Beer A, Dienes HP. Autoimmune hepatitis-is histology conclusive? ANNALS OF TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE 2021; 9:733. [PMID: 33987431 PMCID: PMC8106011 DOI: 10.21037/atm-20-5084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Liver biopsy is an essential and necessary element in the diagnosis and management of autoimmune hepatitis, and is of very special importance in the scoring system for diagnosis. Histopathology shows moderate to severe inflammatory infiltrates with abundant plasma cells in the enlarged portal tracts with interface hepatitis and moderate to severe necroinflammatory lesions in the lobules with lymphoplasmacytic reaction. Regeneration develops with rosette formation and regenerative nodules. One important issue is the differentiation between acute onset of autoimmune hepatitis and a flare up of chronic disease; this cannot be diagnosed in some cases clinically and therefore requires a biopsy to evaluate the stage of the disease. There are some variants of the disease with cholestatic features such as autoantibody negative autoimmune hepatitis and giant cell hepatitis as well as overlap syndromes with primary biliary cholangitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis. Clinically, three types of autoimmune hepatitis are differentiated according to autoantibody formation and the clinical picture, however, histopathologically there is no difference between these three types. Differential diagnosis of autoimmune hepatitis includes drug-induced liver injury with minocycline, alpha methyldopa, nitrofurantoin and checkpoint inhibitors such as infliximab. Wilson´s disease is also an important differential diagnosis especially in young adults. A liver biopsy is mandatory to confirm the diagnosis of autoimmune hepatitis but histopathology alone is not conclusive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Beer
- Department of Pathology, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Hans Peter Dienes
- Department of Pathology, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria
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Cacciato V, Casagrande E, Bodini G, Furnari M, Marabotto E, Grillo F, Giannini EG. Eradication of hepatitis C virus infection disclosing a previously hidden, underlying autoimmune hepatitis: Autoimmune hepatitis and HCV. Ann Hepatol 2021; 19:222-225. [PMID: 32029393 DOI: 10.1016/j.aohep.2019.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2019] [Revised: 11/22/2019] [Accepted: 11/25/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and autoimmune disorders show a complex interplay, with HCV often being identified as the trigger of autoimmune phenomena or diseases. While there is evidence of successful HCV treatment with direct-acting antivirals (DAA) in patients with concomitant HCV and autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), there are also sparse reports of AIH developing during, or following, DAA treatment. Here we report a case of a patient with suspected concomitant HCV and AIH who underwent liver biopsy but showed no histological hallmarks of autoimmunity. The patient later developed a hepatitic flare following DAA-induced viral clearance, and a second liver biopsy showed features compatible with AIH. Response to corticosteroid and azathioprine treatment was seen. This reports demonstrates that patients with features of auto-reactivity and HCV after DAA-induced viral clearance require careful follow-up.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Cacciato
- Gastroenterology Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, Italy; IRCCS-Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Edoardo Casagrande
- Gastroenterology Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, Italy; IRCCS-Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Giorgia Bodini
- Gastroenterology Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, Italy; IRCCS-Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Manuele Furnari
- Gastroenterology Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, Italy; IRCCS-Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Elisa Marabotto
- Gastroenterology Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, Italy; IRCCS-Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Federica Grillo
- Pathology Unit, Department of Surgical Sciences and Integrated Diagnostics, University of Genoa, Italy; IRCCS-Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Edoardo G Giannini
- Gastroenterology Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, Italy; IRCCS-Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy.
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Abstract
Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is an immunoinflammatory chronic liver disease with dynamic and rather heterogeneous disease manifestations. A trend of increasing prevalence of AIH has been observed worldwide, along with a relative increase in the percentage of male patients. AIH is characterized and diagnosed based on serum biochemistry and liver histology: elevated aminotransferases and serum immunoglobulin G (IgG), the presence of serum anti-nuclear antibody or anti-smooth muscle antibody, and interface lympho-plasmacytic hepatitis. Clinical manifestations differ among disease subtypes with distinct time-frames, i.e., AIH with a chronic insidious onset, and acute-onset AIH (the diagnosis of which is often challenging due to the lack of typical serum findings). The absence of disease-specific biomarkers or histological findings may expand the disease phenotype into drug-induced AIH-like liver injury. Corticosteroids and azathioprine are recommended first-line treatments for AIH. The complete normalization of aminotransferases and serum IgG is an essential treatment response to ensure long-term overall survival. An incomplete response or intolerance to these drugs is considered an indication for second-line treatment, especially with mycophenolate mofetil. Life-long maintenance treatment is required for the majority of patients, but the few who achieve prolonged and stringent biochemical remission with lower alanine aminotransferase and IgG within the normal range may be able to discontinue the medications. In the future, the quality of life of AIH patients should be managed by personalized medicine, including the appropriate selection and dosing of first-line therapy and perhaps alternating with potential therapeutics, and the prediction of the success of treatment withdrawal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atsumasa Komori
- Clinical Research Center, National Hospital Organization Nagasaki Medical Center, Omura, Japan.,Department of Hepatology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Omura, Japan
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