A New Potential Strategy for Acute Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH)

BACKGROUND Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of chronic liver disease in the United States, and 25% of patients with NAFLD progress to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). NAFLD is predicted to be the most common indication for liver transplantation by 2030. Despite associated high morbidity and mortality, there is currently no approved therapy for NASH. PCSK9 inhibitors are approved for reducing LDL in patients who are statin-intolerant or need further LDL reduction. Increased LDL levels are independently associated with an elevated risk of NAFLD. CASE REPORT We present a case of a 39-year-old woman with acute NASH with familial hypercholesterolemia that was refractory to lifestyle modifications and HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors. An episode of rhabdomyolysis warranted a search for alternatives to statin therapy. Results of a liver biopsy showed microvesicular and macrovesicular steatosis with ballooning degeneration, indicating acute NASH. She was started on PCSK9 inhibitors as salvage therapy. Three monthly doses resulted in a more than an 80% reduction in ALT and AST and a 48% reduction in LDL levels. A liver biopsy done 8 months after the first biopsy showed normalization of liver histology. CONCLUSIONS The use of PCSK9 inhibitors showed a dramatic response in this patient who failed conventional therapies, and the encouraging results seen in this case merit further research into the use of PCSK9 inhibitors as first-line therapy for the acute phase of NASH.