Colchicine for alcoholic and non-alcoholic liver fibrosis or cirrhosis.
OBJECTIVE
Colchicine is an anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic drug. Several randomized clinical trials have addressed the question whether colchicine has any efficacy in patients with alcoholic as well as non-alcoholic fibrosis and cirrhosis. The objectives were to assess the efficacy of colchicine evaluated in randomized trials on mortality, liver related mortality, liver related complications, liver fibrosis markers, liver histology, alcohol consumption, quality of life, and health economics in patients with alcoholic and non-alcoholic fibrosis or cirrhosis.


METHODS
Interventions encompassed peroral colchicine at any dose versus placebo or no intervention. The trials could be double-blind, single-blind or unblinded. The trials could be unpublished or published as an article, an abstract, or a letter, and no language limitations were applied. All analyses were performed according to the intention-to-treat


METHODS
MEDLINE, The Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, The Cochrane Hepato-Biliary Group Controlled Trials Register and full text searches were combined.


RESULTS
Combining the results of 14 randomized clinical trials including 1138 patients demonstrated no significant effects of colchicine on mortality (odds ratio (OR): 0.91; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.64, 1.31), liver related mortality (OR: 0.98; CI 0.56, 1.74), complications (OR: 1.06; CI 0.65, 1.73), and the other outcomes. Colchicine was associated with a significantly increased risk of adverse events (OR: 4.41; CI 2.24, 8.70; p< 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Colchicine should not be used for liver fibrosis or liver cirrhosis irrespective of etiology. Future trials on colchicine for liver diseases ought to be large.
Rambaldi
A
A
The Cochrane Hepato-Biliary Group, The Copenhagen Trial Unit, Centre for Clinical Intervention Research, Copenhagen University Hospital, H:S Kommunehospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Gluud
C
C
D000284:Administration, Oral; D003078:Colchicine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D006801:Humans; D008104:Liver Cirrhosis, Alcoholic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011788:Quality of Life; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D003078:Colchicine