AASLD: Coffee Intake Linked to Lower Risk of HCV-Related Liver Disease Progression

[Guest guest]

http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/AASLD/11647

Medical News from

AASLD: American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases Meeting

AASLD: Coffee Intake Linked to Lower Risk of HCV-Related Liver Disease

Progression

By Bankhead, Staff Writer, MedPage Today

Published: November 05, 2008

Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor

University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Earn CME/CE credit

for reading medical news

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 5 -- Moderate coffee consumption may help slow the

progression of liver disease related to hepatitis C, according to an

observational study. Action Points

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Explain to interested patients that this study found an inverse association

between coffee consumption and the risk of liver disease progression.

Note that the findings came from a retrospective review of a database and do not

prove that drinking coffee lowers the risk of liver disease progression.

Note that this study was published as an abstract and presented as a poster at a

conference. These data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary

until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Among patients with established liver disease, those who drank at least three

cups of coffee daily had a 50% lower risk of progression over 3.5 years, Neal D.

Freedman, Ph.D., of the National Cancer Institute reported at the American

Association for the Study of Liver Diseases meeting here.

The findings added to those from previous studies linking coffee intake to lower

concentrations of liver enzymes and a reduced risk of cirrhosis, chronic liver

disease, and hepatocellular carcinoma.

" The results showed an inverse association between coffee intake and liver

disease progression, " Dr. Freedman said in an interview. " This was an

observational study, so we couldn't show a cause-and-effect relationship. It's

possible that coffee intake could be a marker for another exposure. "

The findings came from a study of 795 adults who had detectable hepatitis C

viral RNA, had not achieved a sustained virologic response with

peginterferon/ribavirin therapy, and Ishak fibrosis stage ™3. All participants

completed a food frequency questionnaire at baseline and 13 months.

Investigators evaluated multiple outcomes and their association with coffee or

tea intake:

Ascites

Child-Turcotte-Pugh disease score ™7 on two consecutive visits

Death

Hepatic encephalopathy

Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis

Variceal hemorrhage

™2 increase in Ishak score on year 1.5 or 3.5 biopsy for patients with bridging

fibrosis at baseline

Multivariate proportional hazards analysis (adjusted for baseline age, sex, body

mass index, education, race/ethnicity, diabetes, Ishak fibrosis score at

baseline, lifetime alcohol intake, usual tea intake, and total calorie intake)

resulted in hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) for coffee drinking

relative to non-drinking of 1.21 (0.81 to 1.79) for < 1 cup; 0.71 (0.48 to 1.05)

for 1 to

[Guest guest]

http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/AASLD/11647

Medical News from

AASLD: American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases Meeting

AASLD: Coffee Intake Linked to Lower Risk of HCV-Related Liver Disease

Progression

By Bankhead, Staff Writer, MedPage Today

Published: November 05, 2008

Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor

University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Earn CME/CE credit

for reading medical news

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 5 -- Moderate coffee consumption may help slow the

progression of liver disease related to hepatitis C, according to an

observational study. Action Points

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Explain to interested patients that this study found an inverse association

between coffee consumption and the risk of liver disease progression.

Note that the findings came from a retrospective review of a database and do not

prove that drinking coffee lowers the risk of liver disease progression.

Note that this study was published as an abstract and presented as a poster at a

conference. These data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary

until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Among patients with established liver disease, those who drank at least three

cups of coffee daily had a 50% lower risk of progression over 3.5 years, Neal D.

Freedman, Ph.D., of the National Cancer Institute reported at the American

Association for the Study of Liver Diseases meeting here.

The findings added to those from previous studies linking coffee intake to lower

concentrations of liver enzymes and a reduced risk of cirrhosis, chronic liver

disease, and hepatocellular carcinoma.

" The results showed an inverse association between coffee intake and liver

disease progression, " Dr. Freedman said in an interview. " This was an

observational study, so we couldn't show a cause-and-effect relationship. It's

possible that coffee intake could be a marker for another exposure. "

The findings came from a study of 795 adults who had detectable hepatitis C

viral RNA, had not achieved a sustained virologic response with

peginterferon/ribavirin therapy, and Ishak fibrosis stage ™3. All participants

completed a food frequency questionnaire at baseline and 13 months.

Investigators evaluated multiple outcomes and their association with coffee or

tea intake:

Ascites

Child-Turcotte-Pugh disease score ™7 on two consecutive visits

Death

Hepatic encephalopathy

Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis

Variceal hemorrhage

™2 increase in Ishak score on year 1.5 or 3.5 biopsy for patients with bridging

fibrosis at baseline

Multivariate proportional hazards analysis (adjusted for baseline age, sex, body

mass index, education, race/ethnicity, diabetes, Ishak fibrosis score at

baseline, lifetime alcohol intake, usual tea intake, and total calorie intake)

resulted in hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) for coffee drinking

relative to non-drinking of 1.21 (0.81 to 1.79) for < 1 cup; 0.71 (0.48 to 1.05)

for 1 to