TY - JOUR
T1 - Novel therapeutic approach to primary biliary cirrhosis patients
T2 - Anti-eosinophil strategy
AU - Miyaguchi, Shingo
AU - Oda, Masaya
AU - Saito, Hidetsugu
AU - Ishii, Hiromasa
PY - 1998/11/23
Y1 - 1998/11/23
N2 - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Primacy biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a chronic cholestatic liver disease of unknown cause. Morphologically, PBC is characterized by eosinophil infiltration into the portal tract in recent studies. Pranlukast, a new drug, is a leukotriene antagonist, which suppresses eosinophil infiltration in atopic dermatitis or asthma. METHODOLOGY: In this study, pranlukast monotherapy was used to treat 12 patients with a diagnosis of PBC, classified as stage I or II according to Scheuer's classification on the basis of liver biopsy findings. RESULTS: An improvement in alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was observed beginning one month after the start of pranlukast therapy in all 12 patients. Improvement in ALP and y-GTP values was stastically observed at 1, 2, and 6 months after the start of treatment. IgG and IgM values improved in all 12 patients at 2 months and 6 months after the start of treatment. Absolute eosinophil counts improved at 6 months after the start of treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Given its efficacy and the absence of side effects, planlukast appears to be the medical treatment of choice for patients with early-stage PBC. But, a randomised, controlled, double-blind trial is urgently needed.
AB - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Primacy biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a chronic cholestatic liver disease of unknown cause. Morphologically, PBC is characterized by eosinophil infiltration into the portal tract in recent studies. Pranlukast, a new drug, is a leukotriene antagonist, which suppresses eosinophil infiltration in atopic dermatitis or asthma. METHODOLOGY: In this study, pranlukast monotherapy was used to treat 12 patients with a diagnosis of PBC, classified as stage I or II according to Scheuer's classification on the basis of liver biopsy findings. RESULTS: An improvement in alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was observed beginning one month after the start of pranlukast therapy in all 12 patients. Improvement in ALP and y-GTP values was stastically observed at 1, 2, and 6 months after the start of treatment. IgG and IgM values improved in all 12 patients at 2 months and 6 months after the start of treatment. Absolute eosinophil counts improved at 6 months after the start of treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Given its efficacy and the absence of side effects, planlukast appears to be the medical treatment of choice for patients with early-stage PBC. But, a randomised, controlled, double-blind trial is urgently needed.
KW - Eosinophils
KW - Pranlukast
KW - Primary biliary cirrhosis
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M3 - Article
C2 - 9840083
AN - SCOPUS:0031794312
VL - 45
SP - 1457
EP - 1461
JO - Acta hepato-splenologica
JF - Acta hepato-splenologica
SN - 0172-6390
IS - 23
ER -