title: An inverse relationship between autoimmune liver diseases and Strongyloides stercoralis infection.
abstract: A case-control study was undertaken to describe the prevalence of Strongyloides stercoralis infection among patients with autoimmune liver diseases, such as primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). This study covered 4,117 patients who were admitted to hospitals in Okinawa, Japan, between 1988 and 2006. During this period, 538 patients had the following chronic liver diseases: PBC, AIH, PSC, chronic viral hepatitis group, and alcoholic liver disease. The other 3,579 patients who were hospitalized and underwent parasitologic tests served as controls. The frequency of S. stercoralis infection in the autoimmune liver diseases group (1.0%) was lower than that found in the control group (7.0%; P = 0.0063). None of the female patients with PBC born before 1955 had S. stercoralis infection, which was also statistically significant (P = 0.045). We hypothesized that immunomodulation by S. stercoralis infection may lower the incidence of autoimmune liver disease.
authors.affiliation: Division of Control and Prevention of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan. haaoyama-gi@umin.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hajime
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Aoyama
authors.forename: Tetsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hirata
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sakugawa
authors.forename: Takako
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Satoru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Miyagi
authors.forename: Tatsuji
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maeshiro
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chinen
authors.forename: Mariko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kawane
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Zaha
authors.forename: Tomokuni
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakayoshi
authors.forename: Fukunori
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kinjo
authors.forename: Jiro
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fujita
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000166:cytology; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008105:Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D017171:Strongyloides stercoralis; D013322:Strongyloidiasis / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology