AASLD: American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
Your network for the investigation and treatment of liver diseases About Us | Log In/Out | Member Center
 
AASLD News: May 14, 2009
 

Hepatology Editor's Picks 
|

Hypothyroidism in Women Associated With Liver Cancer

Women who had a prior history of hypothyroidism for more than 10 years had a threefold higher risk of liver cancer compared to women without a history of thyroid disorders. Adjusting for obesity did not change the association.

Whether and why hypothyroidism causes HCC is not clear,” the authors report. “However, the association between hypothyroidism and NASH can be explained by the underlying hyperlipidemia, decreased fatty acid oxidation insulin resistance and lipid peroxidation in patients with hypothyroidism.” And these conditions may make the patient susceptible to HCC development.

 
Study: Patients with Resolved Hepatitis C Likely Still Contagious

Patients who achieve a sustained viral response show no clinical or biochemical evidence of liver disease and standard tests can no longer detect the virus in their blood. However, more sensitive research tests are finding that such patients often still have miniscule amounts of the virus in their bodies.

“Our present findings reveal that HCV circulating in some individuals with resolved hepatitis C is capable of inducing productive infection in vitro at doses of 20 to 50 copies,” the authors conclude. “This can be interpreted as a strong indication of potential virus infectivity in vivo.”