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- Danielsson Borssén, Åsa, 1977-
(författare)
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Autoimmune hepatitis : life, death and in-between
- 2017
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a chronic autoimmune liver disease that is overrepresented in women (75% of cases). Studies have described a 10-year survival after diagnosis near to that of the general population, but less is known about the long-term survival. The inflammation in AIH causes fibrotic tissue to form in the liver and about 1/3 of AIH patients have cirrhosis at diagnosis. Studies have shown that treatment of the underlying liver disease can reverse fibrosis, and sometimes even cirrhosis, but only a few studies have examined the response to treatment in AIH. AIH affects all ages and some women will have cirrhosis during pregnancy, which is a risk factor for an adverse outcome. Cirrhosis is also a risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the true risk for HCC in cirrhotic AIH patients is not known.Aim To study the epidemiology of AIH in Sweden, the causes of death and the risk of cancer for AIH patients, the efficacy of medical treatment on fibrosis and cirrhosis, and outcomes for the mother and child in pregnancy.Material and methods A cohort of 634 AIH patients was established at the Swedish University hospitals. Prevalence and incidence were calculated, and a relative survival analysis was performed in which survival after AIH diagnosis was compared to that of the general population. Causes of deaths were retrieved from the Cause of Death Registry.The Cancer Registry was used to calculate standard incidence ratios (SIR) and compare cancer risk to that of the general population.Two hundred fifty-eight liver biopsies from 101 patients were analyzed by a single pathologist and classified according to the Ishak grading and staging system. Liver histology was stratified according to the temporal changes of fibrosis stage, and groups were compared.A questionnaire was answered by 138 women with AIH about medication, pregnancies, disease behavior during and after pregnancy, and pregnancy outcomes.Results The incidence and prevalence of AIH were 1.2/100 000 and 17.3/100 000 respectively. The relative survival started to decline after 4 years compared to the reference population, and was even more pronounced after 10 years. Men were diagnosed (33.5 years versus 48.0 years, p<0.001) and died (59.7 versus 75.4 years, p=0.002) at a younger age than women. Patients with cirrhosis at diagnosis had an inferior survival (p<0.001). Liver-related death was the most common cause of death (32.7%). Among AIH patients a higher incidence of cancer was found compared with that of the general Swedish population, SIR of 2.08 (95% Confidence Interval (CI) 1.68-2.55). SIR for non-melanoma skin cancer was 9.87 (95% CI 6.26-14.81) and hepatobiliary cancer was 54.55 (95% CI 19.92-99.99). HCC was found in 4% of the cirrhotic patients and the incidence rate was 0.3% per year. A reduction of fibrosis stage from first to last biopsy was common (62.4% of patients) and patients on a continuous glucocorticoid medication more often had a decreased fibrosis stage than those with withdrawal attempts (p=0.002). One hundred children were born by 58 women with AIH, of which 23 women had 43 children after diagnosis of cirrhosis. Malformations were reported in 3%, and pre-term births (Conclusion Contrary to previous reports, AIH patients’ life expectancy was significantly inferior to that of the control population already 4 years after onset of disease, and liver disease was the most common cause of death. AIH patients had an overall enhanced risk for cancer, mainly from an increased risk of non-melanoma skin cancer and HCC. However, the annual risk of HCC was only 0.3% in cirrhotic patients. Histological improvement of liver fibrosis was common in AIH. The proportion of pre-term births was high, but overall pregnancy and childbirth appear to be safe in AIH, even in compensated cirrhosis.
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| 2. |
- Danielsson Borssén, Åsa, 1977-, et al.
(författare)
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Histological improvement of liver fibrosis in well-treated patients with autoimmune hepatitis : A cohort study
- 2017
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Ingår i: Medicine. - : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. - 0025-7974 .- 1536-5964. ; 96:34
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a chronic autoimmune liver disease that if left untreated may lead to the development of cirrhosis. Previous studies on AIH patients have suggested that fibrosis and even cirrhosis can be reversed by medical treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of medical treatment for protection of developing fibrosis and cirrhosis.A total of 258 liver biopsies from 101 patients (72 women, 29 men) were analyzed by a single pathologist and classified according to the Ishak grading (inflammation) and staging (fibrosis) system. Liver histology was stratified according to the temporal changes of fibrosis stage (increased, decreased, or stable), and groups were compared.Complete or partial response to medical treatment was 94.9%. Reduction of fibrosis stage from the first to the last biopsy was seen in 63 patients (62.4%). We found an association between a reduction in the fibrosis stage and continuous glucocorticoid medication, as well as lowered scores of inflammation at last biopsy. Twenty-one patients had cirrhosis (Ishak stage 6) at least in one of the previous biopsies, but only 5 patients at the last biopsy.Histological improvement is common in AIH patients that respond to medical treatment, and a reduction or stabilization of fibrosis stage occurs in about 2/3 of such patients.
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| 3. |
- Danielsson Borssén, Åsa, 1977-, et al.
(författare)
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Pregnancy and childbirth in women with autoimmune hepatitis is safe, even in compensated cirrhosis
- 2016
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology. - : Taylor & Francis. - 0036-5521 .- 1502-7708. ; 51:4, s. 479-485
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction: Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a liver disease that primarily affects women. Many become ill during childbearing age, and medication can be lifelong. Few studies exist on pregnancy outcome in women with AIH. Objectives: The aim was to assess the outcome of women with AIH and their children during pregnancy and postpartum.Materials and methods: Sixty-four women from a well-characterised cohort with AIH filled out a questionnaire with information about their disease, miscarriage/abortion, pregnancies and potential birth defects in 2012. In 2004, 106 women answered the same questionnaire and their results were analysed along with the new questionnaires. Results: One hundred and thirty-eight women have completed the questionnaire and 100 children have been born by 58 women. Fifty-seven women (41%) had cirrhosis. In 84% of the pregnancies, the AIH was stable or milder, 32% had an increase in activity postpartum. The proportion of preterm births (before week 38) was 22%, caesarean sections 17%, malformations 3%, and two children died. Twenty-three women with cirrhosis had children after diagnosis of cirrhosis but without more complications than for non-cirrhotic mothers. However, they did have a higher prevalence of caesarean sections. Conclusion: Pregnancy and childbirth in AIH appear to be safe for both child and mother, even in women with compensated liver cirrhosis.
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| 4. |
- Thörn, Richard, et al.
(författare)
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Improved survival in at-risk patients undergoing surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma : a nationwide Swedish register-based study
- 2023
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Ingår i: Journal of Hepatocellular Carcinoma. - : Dove Medical Press. - 2253-5969. ; 10, s. 1573-1586
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: Surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is recommended in at-risk patients, but its effectiveness in Western populations has been questioned. The purpose was to evaluate the effect of surveillance in patients with HCC in a Northern European setting.Patients and Methods: Data on patients diagnosed with HCC between 2009 and 2019 were collected from the nationwide Swedish National Registry for Tumors of the Liver and Bile Ducts (SweLiv). Patients who had undergone HCC surveillance were compared to those who had not (but had an obvious indication for surveillance, ie, liver cirrhosis or hepatic porphyria and an age of ≥50 years) regarding etiology, tumor burden, presence of extrahepatic spread, treatment and lead-time adjusted overall survival.Results: A total of 4979 patients with index HCC were identified and information regarding surveillance was available in 4116 patients. Among these, 1078 had got their HCC diagnosis during surveillance, whereas 1647 had been diagnosed without surveillance despite a presumed indication. The most common underlying etiologies for HCC were hepatitis C (28.2%) and alcoholic liver disease (26.9%), and 94.8% had cirrhosis. The surveillance cohort more frequently met the University of California San Francisco-criteria (79% vs 53%, p <0.001), more often received a potentially curative treatment (62% vs 28%, p <0.001) and had less extrahepatic spread (7.6% vs 22.4% p <0.001). After adjustment for lead-time bias (sojourn time of 270 days), the surveillance group had a significantly longer estimated median survival time than the non-surveillance group (34 months vs 11 months, p <0.001). A multivariable cox regression analysis showed an adjusted hazard ratio of 0.59 (95% CI 0.51–0.67) in favor of surveillance.Conclusion: Surveillance for HCC in at-risk patients is associated with diagnosis at an earlier tumor stage, treatment with curative intent and with improved lead-time adjusted overall survival. These findings encourage HCC surveillance of at-risk patients also in a Western population.
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