Adalimumab could suppress the activity of non alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).
The prevalence of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is increasing. NASH confers an increased risk of liver-related morbidity and mortality with a substantial risk of developing liver cirrhosis. At present, there is no established medical treatment for NASH. The pathogenesis of NASH is incompletely understood. Several lines of evidence suggest that TNF-alpha may be involved in the pathogenesis of NASH by promoting liver inflammation, insulin resistance and hepatocyte apoptosis. Anti-TNF-alpha therapy has not been evaluated for the treatment of NASH. We report here on a patient with NASH who has experienced rapid normalization of liver biochemistry during treatment of an associated rheumatoid arthritis with the humanized anti-TNF-alpha antibody adalimumab. This observation suggests that pilot studies may be warranted to evaluate the role of adalimumab for the treatment of NASH.
Schramm
C
C
III. Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg. cschramm@uke.de
Schneider
A
A
Marx
A
A
Lohse
A W
AW
D000068879:Adalimumab; D000328:Adult; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D001706:Biopsy; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D033162:Incidental Findings; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors
D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D000068879:Adalimumab