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Effects of Infliximab on Liver Function Test
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A Ghazay Motleg *    , S Khalid Abdullah , K Abdullah Al-Khazraj , M Khalid Abdullah |
| 1.Department of Medicine, Baghdad Teaching Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq. , dr.karim_ghazay@yahoo.com |
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Abstract: (16 Views) |
Background and Objective: Autoimmune diseases are a significant problem due to their chronic nature and prevalence in young populations at the peak of their working and reproductive years. Biological therapy is a revolutionary step in the treatment of autoimmune diseases, especially in rheumatology. Infliximab is a recombinant chimeric antibody that is effective in the treatment of autoimmune diseases and has many applications. However, its effect on liver damage is controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of infliximab on liver function tests.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 100 patients with autoimmune diseases. They had normal liver function test at enrollment, and all of them were on infliximab. Patients had been examined every 3 months for liver function tests, anti-smooth muscle antibodies (ASMA), antinuclear antibodies (ANA), along with clinical assessment. Elevation of any liver enzyme or the positivity for both antibodies was considered as an indication for liver injury.
Findings: Eighteen patients (18%) had abnormal liver function test represented by elevated alanine transaminase (ALT) or aspartate aminotransferase (AST) or both. Abnormality in liver function tests was significantly associated with disease duration, treatment with methotrexate, diabetes and the presence of jaundice and autoantibodies. ALT and AST had a positive significant with BMI and disease duration (r=0.237, p=0.018 and r=0.218, p=0.029, respectively).
Conclusion: The results of the study showed that the use of infliximab interfered with liver function tests. |
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| Keywords: Autoimmune Disease, Infliximab, Liver Function Test, Liver Injury. |
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Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Internal (Digestive)
Received: 2024/10/26 | Accepted: 2025/01/26
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