title: Prevalence of hepatocellular carcinoma in alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency.
abstract: The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of hepatocellular carcinoma in adults with heterozygous alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency and to assess the presence of possible co-risk factors for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. Two hundred and forty patients with cirrhosis of different aetiologies and 130 patients with alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency without evidence of chronic liver disease were investigated. Out of the 240 patients with cirrhosis, 61 patients (25%) were found to have alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency, 36 patients (15%) had chronic hepatitis C infection, 50 (21%) had chronic hepatitis B and 24 (10%) had hepatitis C and hepatitis B infection. Thirty patients (12%) had cryptogenic cirrhosis and 39 (16%) alcoholic cirrhosis. The prevalence of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency-associated cirrhosis was comparable to that of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with cirrhosis of other aetiologies. Positive viral markers were found in 67% of the patients with alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency-associated cirrhosis with hepatocellular carcinoma. In contrast, in the group of 130 patients with alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency but without clinical and laboratory signs of chronic liver disease, none was found to have hepatocellular carcinoma (p = 0.001). Our results indicate that heterozygous alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency-associated cirrhosis is a risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma, but this is due to chronic liver disease and not due to the metabolic disorder itself.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Innsbruck University, Austria.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Propst
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Propst
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Dietze
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Judmaier
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Braunsteiner
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Vogel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications / Q000821:virology; D008104:Liver Cirrhosis, Alcoholic / Q000150:complications; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D019896:alpha 1-Antitrypsin Deficiency