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. 2023 Feb 18;14(3):243-251.
doi: 10.1007/s13340-023-00619-z. eCollection 2023 Jul.

Efficacy of 3 months of additional pioglitazone treatment in type 2 diabetes patients with alcoholic fatty liver disease

Masahiro Asakawa  1 , Noriko Takagi  1 , Daisuke Hamada  1 , Yuko Yamasaki  1 , Hidenori Katsuta  1
Affiliations

Efficacy of 3 months of additional pioglitazone treatment in type 2 diabetes patients with alcoholic fatty liver disease

Masahiro Asakawa et al. Diabetol Int. .

Abstract

Pioglitazone ameliorates liver dysfunction in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD); however, its efficacy in T2D patients with alcoholic fatty liver disease (AFLD) is unclear. Here, we conducted a retrospective single-center trial investigating whether pioglitazone ameliorates liver dysfunction in T2D patients with AFLD. T2D patients (n = 100) receiving 3 months of additional pioglitazone were divided into those with or without fatty liver (FL), and those with FL were further classified into AFLD (n = 21) and NAFLD (n = 57) groups. The effects of pioglitazone were compared across groups using medical record data on body weight changes; HbA1c, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (γ-GTP) levels; and fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index. The pioglitazone dose (mean dose: 10.6 ± 4.6 mg/day) did not affect weight gain but significantly decreased the HbA1c level in patients with or without FL (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively). The decrease in HbA1c level was significantly more pronounced in patients with FL than in those without FL (P < 0.05). In patients with FL, the HbA1c, AST, ALT, and γ-GTP levels significantly decreased after pioglitazone treatment than before (P < 0.01). The AST and ALT levels, but not the γ-GTP level, and the FIB-4 index significantly decreased after pioglitazone addition in the AFLD group, similar to that in the NAFLD group (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively). Similar effects were observed following low-dose pioglitazone treatment (≤ 7.5 mg/day) (P < 0.05) in T2D patients with AFLD and NAFLD. These results suggest that pioglitazone may be also an effective treatment option for T2D patients with AFLD.

Keywords: Alcoholic fatty liver disease; Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; Pioglitazone; Type 2 diabetes.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interestThe authors have no funding and conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Efficacy of 3 months of additional pioglitazone treatment to alleviate glucose intolerance and hepatic dysfunction in patients with type 2 diabetes with (N = 78) or without (N = 22) fatty liver. *P < 0.05 vs. pre; **P < 0.01 vs. pre; ♰P < 0.05 vs. fatty liver (−). Data are expressed as mean ± SD. 3M: after 3 months of pioglitazone treatment; pre: pre-treatment, SD: standard deviation
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Efficacy of 3 months of additional pioglitazone treatment in patients with type 2 diabetes with NAFLD (N = 57) or AFLD (N = 21). *P < 0.05 vs. pre; **P < 0.01 vs. pre. Data are expressed as mean ± SD. 3M: after 3 months of pioglitazone treatment; AFLD: alcoholic fatty liver disease; NAFLD: non-fatty alcoholic liver disease; pre: pre-treatment, SD: standard deviation
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Efficacy of 3 months of additional pioglitazone treatment in patients with type 2 diabetes with NAFLD (N = 32) or AFLD (N = 15) who received low-dose pioglitazone (*P < 0.05 vs. pre; **P < 0.01 vs. pre). Data are expressed as mean ± SD. 3M: after 3 months of pioglitazone treatment; AFLD: alcoholic fatty liver disease; NAFLD: non-fatty alcoholic liver disease; pre: pre-treatment, SD: standard deviation
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