Browsing by Autor "Lorena Castro Solari"

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AMA-NEGATIVE PRIMARY BILIARY CHOLANGITIS IN LATIN AMERICA: A DISTINCT SUBSET WITH LOWER TREATMENT RESPONSE
(Elsevier BV, 2025) Cláudia Alves Couto; Guilherme Grossi Lopes Cançado; Maria Lúcia Gomes Ferraz; Débora Raquel Benedita Terrabuio; Alejandra Villamil; Lorena Castro Solari; Graciela Castro‐Narro; Ezequiel Ridruejo; Cristiane Alves Villela‐Nogueira; D. Guerrero
Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is an autoimmune cholestatic disease, typically diagnosed by the presence of anti-mitochondrial antibodies (AMA). Whether AMA-negative PBC represents a distinct clinical phenotype remains controversial. This study aimed to characterize the epidemiological profile of PBC according to AMA status in Latin America. This ongoing, retrospective, international multicenter cohort study, sponsored by ALEH, includes PBC patients from multiple Latin American countries. Patients were stratified by AMA status; those with autoimmune hepatitis-PBC overlap were excluded. Data from 1,204 patients were analyzed: Brazil (48.3%), Argentina (23.4%), Chile (10.8%), Mexico (7.4%), and others. Most were female (92.3%) with a mean age at diagnosis of 53±13 years; 22.2% had cirrhosis at baseline. Overlap syndrome was excluded. AMA were positive in 76.8%. AMA-positive and AMA-negative patients had similar rates of female sex (92.5% each, p=0.963), baseline cirrhosis (22.4% vs. 23.6%, p=0.706), and symptomatic presentation (77.5% vs. 79.4%, p=0.544). MASLD was more frequent among AMA-negative patients (7.5% vs. 3.8%, p=0.024), which also had higher rates of sp100 (9.1% vs 2.5%, p< 0.001) and gp210 (7.3 vs 3.3%, p< 0.001) positivity. Treatment with UDCA was performed in 95.2% of patients and, from those, 28.3% had second line treatment indicated due to incomplete response to UDCA. AMA-positive patients showed higher response to ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) at 12 months, including ALP normalization (29.7% vs. 21.2%, p=0.035) and deep response (17.5% vs. 8.6%, p=0.007). Similar findings were observed after 12 months of fibrate therapy (34.8% vs. 9.4%, p=0.005). No difference was found in transplant-free survival (p=0.213). AMA-negative PBC patients in Latin America present similar baseline features but have lower response rates to UDCA and fibrates, supporting the hypothesis of a biologically distinct disease subset.
AUTOIMMUNE HEPATITIS IN LATIN AMERICA: INSIGHTS FROM THE ALLATIN COHORT
(Elsevier BV, 2025) Ludmila Resende Guedes; Guilherme Grossi Lopes Cançado; Janaína Luz Narciso Schiavo; Luciana Costa Faria; Ezequiel Ridruejo; Maria Lúcia Gomes Ferraz; Margarita Anders; Lorena Castro Solari; Alejandra Villamil; Harlim Rodríguez Rodríguez
FIBRATES SEEM TO BE EQUALLY EFFECTIVE AS SECOND-LINE THERAPY IN PRIMARY BILIARY CHOLANGITIS, WITH BIOCHEMICAL RESPONSE PLATEAUING AT 6 MONTHS
(Elsevier BV, 2025) Guilherme Grossi Lopes Cançado; Maria Lúcia Gomes Ferraz; Débora Raquel Benedita Terrabuio; Alejandra Villamil; Lorena Castro Solari; Graciela Castro‐Narro; Ezequiel Ridruejo; Cristiane Alves Villela‐Nogueira; M Fernandes; Daniela Chiodi
Approximately 40% of patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) exhibit an incomplete biochemical response to ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) and require second-line therapy. Fibrates are widely available in Latin America and commonly used off-label in this setting. We aimed to evaluate clinical and biochemical outcomes in PBC patients with incomplete UDCA response treated with different fibrates. This ongoing, retrospective, multicenter cohort study (ALLATIN), sponsored by ALEH, includes PBC patients from several Latin American countries. For this analysis, only patients with incomplete response (based on biochemical criteria or physician judgment), who received fibrates, were included. Among 1,204 patients, 342 received fibrates; 263 (76.7%) were treated for incomplete UDCA response (93.2% female; mean age: 50 ± 11 years; 76.5% AMA-positive; 19.6% with cirrhosis). Bezafibrate, fenofibrate, and ciprofibrate were used in 72.2%, 7.2%, and 17.9% of cases. Median ALP before fibrates was 1.9xULN (IQR 1.4-3.0); median time from UDCA start to fibrate use was 30 months (IQR 13-69). At 6 months (n = 153), ALP normalization occurred in 42.5%, while 67.3% and 50.3% met Toronto and POISE criteria, respectively; 30.9% achieved deep response (normal ALP and bilirubin <0.6×ULN). At 12 months (n=150), rates remained stable. No differences were observed across fibrate types (p>0.4). Liver transplantation or death occurred in 24 patients (9.1%) over 87 months (IQR 44-135), associated with cirrhosis at diagnosis (OR 9.9; 95%CI 3.3-29.9; p<0.001) and response at 6 months by Toronto criteria (OR 0.31; 95%CI 0.1-0.9; p=0.035). Discontinuation occurred in 13.7%; adverse events included renal injury (n=1), myalgia (n=4), liver injury (n=4), and abdominal pain (n=4). Fibrates showed high efficacy regardless of agent used. Biochemical response plateaued by 6 months and predicted long-term outcomes. These findings support early assessment and a pragmatic approach to second-line therapy in PBC, independent of fibrate type.
Mesalamine induced hepatotoxicity. Is mesalamine safe?
(Arán Ediciones, 2024) Javier Pérez-Valenzuela; Lorena Castro Solari; Rodrigo Quera; Luis Contreras
Mesalamine is a medication used widely in the treatment of patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Although mesalamine is considered safe, hepatotoxicity has been reported with an incidence of 0-4%. We present the clinical picture of a patient with hepatotoxicity due to mesalamine. A 79-year-old woman in the context of chronic diarrhea, a left-sided ulcerative colitis diagnosis was made, and treatment was initiated with oral mesalamine 4 g per day, and mesalamine suppositories. Before starting treatment, she had normal liver test results. After three months, she presented with headache, fatigue, and intermittent low fever. Her laboratory tests showed a liver profile with a cholestatic pattern, and elevation of inflammatory parameters. Mesalamine was suspended, and an extensive study was performed. Cholangioresonance reported intra and extrahepatic bile duct dilation without obstruction, and thickening of the intrahepatic bile duct. She progressed with worsening of the liver profile without signs of liver failure. A liver biopsy was performed, which showed chronic non-suppurative cholangitis with granulomas and focal concentric fibrosis related to medium-caliber bile ducts, and IgG4 stain was negative.