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Partial Bile Duct Ligation in the Mouse: A Controlled Model of Localized Obstructive Cholestasis
Published on: March 28, 2018
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Risk factors for primary sclerosing cholangitis
Kirsten Boonstra1, Elisabeth M G de Vries1, Nan van Geloven2
1Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Summary
Smoking significantly lowers the risk of developing primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a liver disease. Appendectomy was not found to be a risk factor for PSC in this population-based study.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Gastroenterology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a progressive cholestatic liver disease with unknown etiology, strongly linked to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
- Population-level studies on potential risk factors for PSC are lacking.
- This study investigated smoking, appendectomy, family history, and geographical distribution as potential PSC triggers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the association of smoking, appendectomy, family history, and geographical distribution with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC).
- To compare these risk factors in PSC patients against inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) controls and healthy controls (HC).
Main Methods:
- A population-based case-control study was conducted in a defined geographical area in the Netherlands.
- 343 PSC patients, 370 IBD controls, and 232 healthy controls (HC) completed a questionnaire.
- Data collected included smoking history, appendectomy status, and family history of IBD and autoimmune liver diseases.
Main Results:
- Smoking was associated with a significantly lower risk of developing PSC in both PSC-ulcerative colitis (UC) and PSC-Crohn's disease (CD) patients.
- The frequency of appendectomy did not differ between PSC and HC, but PSC-UC patients had a higher appendectomy rate than UC patients.
- No association was found between family history of IBD/autoimmune liver disease or degree of urbanization and PSC risk.
Conclusions:
- Smoking is confirmed to be associated with a reduced risk of developing PSC, independent of its protective effect on UC.
- Appendectomy is not associated with an increased risk of developing PSC.
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