New Study Shows That Vitamin E Can Treat Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) In HIV Patients
Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (
NASH) is a severe form of
nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (
NAFLD) and is characterized by liver inflammation and cell damage. It is a potentially dangerous condition that can progress to cirrhosis or liver cancer. Unfortunately,
HIV patients tend to have a high prevalence of the disease.
A new study by McGill University, Canada has found that
Vitamin E can be effective in treating the condition in
HIV patients.
The study's lead author Dr. Giada Sebastiani, Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine, McGill University and bioresearcher at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre told
Thailand Medical News ,"
Vitamin E has been shown to improve
fatty liver in the general population. Here we provide evidence for its beneficial effect and safety in people living with
HIV, who have a higher prevalence of
fatty liver disease."
The research findings have been published in the study appears in the February issue of the journal AIDS.
NAFLD currently affects up to 48% of Canadians living with
HIV and 25% of the general population, while
NASH affects about one third of patients with
NAFLD. Global figures are almost similar.
A few theories exist to explain the high prevalence of
fatty liver among
HIV-positive patients.
Dr Sebastiani added, "It is possibly due to
HIV-related inflammation, the antiretroviral drugs that they have to take lifelong, and to very frequent metabolic problems, such as diabetes and high lipids. Unfortunately, there is no approved therapy for
fatty liver in people living with
HIV."
For the research, 27 patients with
HIV and
NASH were given
vitamin E in an easily-tolerated dose of two pills per day.
Dr Sebastiani further added, "We found that
vitamin E improved both liver transaminases (the main blood tests for liver function) and liver fat measured by a non-invasive ultrasonographic test. These improvements were even more marked than those reported in the
HIV-uninfected population."
The
vitamin E significantly reduced inflammation and fat in the
HIV-positive patients in a very sizeable way.
The author noted that because the study did not have the benefit of a control group, and the study group was small and had a short follow-up (24 weeks), it's considered a pilot project.
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Dr Sebastiani added, "We would be interested in conducting a larger randomized controlled trial, with a longer follow-up.”
Reference: Vitamin E is an effective treatment for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis in HIV mono-infected patients," by G. Sebastiani, P. Ghali, M. Klein, et al, was published February 1, 2020 ,journal AIDS.
DOI: 10.1097/QAD.0000000000002412
