Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Jun 17:7:25-31.
doi: 10.4137/CGast.S13125. eCollection 2014.

Liver Function Test Abnormalities in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: A Hospital-based Survey

Maria Cappello  1 , Claudia Randazzo  1 , Ivana Bravatà  1 , Anna Licata  1 , Sergio Peralta  1 , Antonio Craxì  1 , Piero Luigi Almasio  1
Affiliations

Liver Function Test Abnormalities in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: A Hospital-based Survey

Maria Cappello et al. Clin Med Insights Gastroenterol. .

Abstract

Background and aims: Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are frequently associated with altered liver function tests (LFTs). The causal relationship between abnormal LFTs and IBD is unclear. The aim of our study was to evaluate the prevalence and etiology of LFTs abnormalities and their association with clinical variables in a cohort of IBD patients followed up in a single center.

Materials and methods: A retrospective review was undertaken of all consecutive IBD in- and outpatients routinely followed up at a single referral center. Clinical and demographic parameters were recorded. Subjects were excluded if they had a previous diagnosis of chronic liver disease. LFT abnormality was defined as an increase in aspartate aminotransferase, (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), or total bilirubin.

Results: A cohort of 335 patients (179 males, mean age 46.0 ± 15.6 years) was analyzed. Abnormal LFTs were detected in 70 patients (20.9%). In most cases, the alterations were mild and spontaneously returned to normal values in about 60% of patients. Patients with abnormal LFTs were less frequently on treatment with aminosalicylates (22.8 vs. 36.6%, P = 0.04). The most frequent cause for transient abnormal LFTs was drug-induced cholestasis (34.1%), whereas fatty liver was the most frequent cause of persistent liver damage (65.4%). A cholestatic pattern was found in 60.0% of patients and was mainly related to older age, longer duration of disease, and hypertension.

Conclusions: The prevalence of LFT abnormalities is relatively high in IBD patients, but the development of severe liver injury is exceptional. Moreover, most alterations of LFTs are mild and spontaneously return to normal values. Drug-induced hepatotoxicity and fatty liver are the most relevant causes of abnormal LFTs in patients with IBD.

Keywords: drug-induced hepatotoxicity; fatty liver; inflammatory bowel disease; liver function tests.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Navaneethan U, Shen B. Hepatopancreatobiliary manifestations and complications associated with inflammatory bowel disease. Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2010;16:1598–1619. - PubMed
    1. Loftus EV, Jr, Sandborn WJ, Lindor KD, LaRusso NF. Interactions between chronic liver disease and inflammatory bowel disease. Inflamm Bowel Dis. 1997;3:288–302. - PubMed
    1. Gisbert JP, Luna M, González-Lama Y, et al. Liver injury in inflammatory bowel disease: long-term follow-up study of 786 patients. Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2007;13:1106–1114. - PubMed
    1. Mendes FD, Levy C, Enders FB, Loftus EV, Angulo P, Lindor KD. Abnormal hepatic biochemistries in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Am J Gastroenterol. 2007;102:344–350. - PubMed
    1. Heikius B, Niemelä S, Lehtola J, Karttunen T, Lähde S. Hepatobiliary and coexisting pancreatic duct abnormalities in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Scand J Gastroenterol. 1997;32:153–161. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources