Severe Vitamin D Deficiency May be an Additional Cofactor for the Occurrence of Alcoholic Steatohepatitis.
BACKGROUND
Among its pleiotropic effects, vitamin D may protect the liver from fibrosis and/or inflammation. However, the impact of vitamin D on liver pathology in hepatitis C remains unclear, and very few studies including alcoholic patients with liver pathologies have been performed. Here we compared the levels of 25-OH vitamin D in the blood of alcoholic patients with the occurrence of alcoholic steatohepatitis (ASH) or bridging fibrosis.


METHODS
One hundred and one alcoholic patients were included. All the patients received a liver biopsy, and the levels of 25-OH vitamin D were evaluated with the Liaison 25-OH vitamin D assay. Logistic regression analyses were performed to obtain predictive factors of liver histology.


RESULTS
Among alcoholic patients, 40.6% presented ASH and 39.6% presented bridging fibrosis. A severe deficiency in 25-OH vitamin D (<10 ng/ml) was seen in 60.4% of patients. This deficiency was frequent in patients with ASH (85.4%) and in those with bridging fibrosis (80%) but was independently associated only with ASH (odds ratio = 8.46 [95% confidence interval 2.05 to 34.89], p = 0.003).


CONCLUSIONS
In alcoholic patients, a severe deficiency in 25-OH vitamin D was independently associated with the occurrence of ASH.
U1065, Team 8, "Hepatic Complications in Obesity", Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Nice, France.|Digestive Center, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire of Nice, Nice, France.|Faculty of Medicine, University of Nice-Sophia-Antipolis, Nice, France.
Rodolphe
R
Anty
Digestive Center, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire of Nice, Nice, France.
Clémence M
CM
Canivet
U1065, Team 8, "Hepatic Complications in Obesity", Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Nice, France.|Faculty of Medicine, University of Nice-Sophia-Antipolis, Nice, France.|Biological Center, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire of Nice, Nice, France.
Stéphanie
S
Patouraux
Biological Center, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire of Nice, Nice, France.
Patricia
P
Ferrari-Panaia
Biological Center, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire of Nice, Nice, France.
Marie Christine
MC
Saint-Paul
Digestive Center, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire of Nice, Nice, France.
Pierre-Michel
PM
Huet
U1065, Team 8, "Hepatic Complications in Obesity", Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Nice, France.|Faculty of Medicine, University of Nice-Sophia-Antipolis, Nice, France.
Cynthia
C
Lebeaupin
U1065, Team 8, "Hepatic Complications in Obesity", Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Nice, France.|Digestive Center, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire of Nice, Nice, France.|Faculty of Medicine, University of Nice-Sophia-Antipolis, Nice, France.
Antonio
A
Iannelli
U1065, Team 8, "Hepatic Complications in Obesity", Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Nice, France.|Faculty of Medicine, University of Nice-Sophia-Antipolis, Nice, France.
Philippe
P
Gual
U1065, Team 8, "Hepatic Complications in Obesity", Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Nice, France.|Digestive Center, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire of Nice, Nice, France.|Faculty of Medicine, University of Nice-Sophia-Antipolis, Nice, France.
Albert
A
Tran
D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications; D002112:Calcifediol / Q000097:blood; D005235:Fatty Liver, Alcoholic / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005355:Fibrosis / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*
D002112:Calcifediol
Alcoholic Steatohepatitis; Vitamin D