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World J Gastroenterol. Aug 14, 2008; 14(30): 4771-4775
Published online Aug 14, 2008. doi: 10.3748/wjg.14.4771
Prevalence of metabolic syndrome, obesity and diabetes type 2 in cryptogenic cirrhosis
Felix I Tellez-Avila, Francisco Sanchez-Avila, Mauricio García-Saenz-de-Sicilia, Norberto C Chavez-Tapia, Ada M Franco-Guzman, Gustavo Lopez-Arce, Eduardo Cerda-Contreras, Misael Uribe
Felix I Tellez-Avila, Francisco Sanchez-Avila, Mauricio García-Saenz-de-Sicilia, Norberto C Chavez-Tapia, Ada M Franco-Guzman, Gustavo Lopez-Arce, Eduardo Cerda-Contreras, Misael Uribe, Department of Gastroenterology, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Mexico City CP 14000, Mexico
Author contributions: Tellez-Avila FI designed research; Tellez-Avila FI, Sanchez-Avila F, García-Saenz-de-Sicilia M, Chavez-Tapia NC, Franco-Guzman AM, Lopez-Arce G and Cerda-Contreras E performed research; Tellez-Avila FI and Chavez-Tapia NC analyzed the data; Tellez-Avila FI, Sanchez-Avila F and Uribe M wrote the paper.
Correspondence to: Dr. Felix I Tellez-Avila, Department of Gastroenterology, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Vasco de Quiroga 15. Col. Sección XVI. Del. Tlalpan, Mexico City CP 14000, Mexico. felixtelleza@gmail.com
Telephone: +52-55-54870900 Fax: +52-55-56550942
Received: April 22, 2008
Revised: July 14, 2008
Accepted: July 21, 2008
Published online: August 14, 2008
Abstract

AIM: To evaluate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS), obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in a group of Mexican Mestizo patients with cryptogenic cirrhosis (CC) and to compare this group with patients with cirrhosis secondary to other causes (disease controls).

METHODS: Patients with CC, diagnosed between January, 1990 and April, 2005, were included in a retrospective study. Patients with cirrhosis caused by chronic hepatitis C, alcohol abuse or autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) served as disease controls.

RESULTS: A total of 134 patients with CC were analyzed. Disease controls consisted of 81 patients with chronic hepatitis C, 33 with alcohol abuse and 20 with AIH. The median age of patients with CC was 57 years (range, 16-87); 83 (61.9%) patients were female; 53 (39.6%) were Child A, 65 (48.5%) Child B, and 16 (11.9%) were Child C cirrhosis. The prevalence of MS (29.1% vs 6%; P < 0.001), obesity (16.4% vs 8.2%; P = 0.04) and T2DM (40% vs 22.4%; P = 0.013) was higher in CC patients than in disease controls. There were no differences in sex, age or liver function tests between the two groups.

CONCLUSION: The prevalence of MS, obesity and T2DM were higher in patients with CC than in patients with cirrhosis secondary to others causes. Our findings support the hypothesis that non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) plays an under-recognized role in CC.

Keywords: Cryptogenic chronic hepatitis; Metabolic syndrome; Obesity; Diabetes mellitus