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Updated: Aug 9, 2025
Cheek Injection Model for Simultaneous Measurement of Pain and Itch-related Behaviors
Published on: September 27, 2019
Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase: A Friend against Cholestatic Itch? A Retrospective Observational Data Analysis in
Floris W Haijer1, Cornelis B Van Vliet1, Marjolein G J Brusse-Keizer2
1Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Medical Spectre Twente, Netherlands.
Methods:
We included 235 patients with chronic extrahepatic cholestasis due to pancreatic cancer, cholangiocarcinoma, or papillary carcinoma.
Results:
GGT was significantly higher in patients without pruritus (median 967, IQR 587-1571) compared to patients with pruritus (median 561 IQR 266-1084 IU/l) (p < 0.01). In contrast, median alkaline phosphatase (AP) was 491 U/L (IQR; 353-684) in patients with pruritus and was not significantly different from 518 U/L (IQR; 353-726) in patients without pruritus (p = 0.524). Direct bilirubin was significantly higher in patients with pruritus compared to patients without pruritus (168 μmol/L (IQR; 95-256) vs. 120 μmol/L (IQR; 56.75-185.5)) (p < 0.01). After correcting for the extent of cholestasis via direct bilirubin, the negative association between GGT and pruritus remained significant and became stronger (p < 0.001).
Conclusion:
Serum GGT activity is inversely associated with the presence of cholestatic itch in patients with chronic extrahepatic cholestasis.
