Rare incidence of methotrexate-specific lesions in liver biopsy of patients with arthritis and elevated liver enzymes

Table 3 Characteristics of the patients with liver biopsy depending on the histological liver lesions

	AIH-like lesions (n= 17)	NASH-like lesions (n= 13)	LL lesions (n= 7)	PBC (n= 2)	Direct MTX toxicity (n= 2)	Pvalue
Sex (female/male)	13/4	8/5	5/2	2/0	0/2	NS
Age (years)	55.2 ± 3.2	51.2 ± 3.2	47.7 ± 4.5	57.5 ± 6.5	44.5 ± 1.5	NS
Disease duration (years)	10.5 ± 2.2	5.2 ± 1.1	4.6 ± 1.8	6.2 ± 1.8	6.9 ± 4.9	NS
MTX exposure (weeks)	139.9 ± 44.8	132.8 ± 33.8	26.1 ± 7.2	227.6 ± 158.2	325.7 ± 282.9	NS
MTX cumulative dose (mg)	1,260.9 ± 324.3	1,458.4 ± 460.9	306.1 ± 77	1,676.9 ± 1,156.9	3,454.2 ± 3,025.7	NS
MTX weekly dose (mg/week)	10.2 ± 1.7	12 ± 1.3	11.6 ± 1.6	7.4 ± 0.1	10.3 ± 0.3	NS
Patients on steroid	7/17	4/13	1/7	0/2	0/2	NS
Fibrosis	11/17	8/13	0/7	2/2	2/2	0.01
Shared epitope positivity	12/15	4/12	1/7	0/2	ND	0.01
HLA-B27 positivity	3/15	1/12	2/7	0/2	ND	NS
HLA-DRB1*03 positivity	1/15	2/12	2/7	1/2	ND	NS
Rheumatoid factor positivity	8/15	6/12	2/7	0/2	1/2	NS
Anti-CCP positivity	14/16	5/9	0/2	0/1	0/1	0.01
ANA positivity	10/16	4/13	2/7	2/2	1/2	NS
Anti-DNA antibody positivity	2/15	0/13	2/7	0/2	0/2	NS
Anti-SMA positivity	2/12	0/9	1/7	0/2	0/2	NS
Anti-LKM1, positivity	0/12	0/9	0/7	0/2	0/2	ND
AMA positivity	2/12	0/9	0/7	1/2	0/2	NS

Data presented as n or mean ± standard error of the mean. AIH, autoimmune hepatitis; AMA, antimitochondrial antibodies; ANA, antinuclear antibodies; CCP, cyclic citrullinated peptide; LKM1, liver/kidney microsomal antibodies type 1; LL, limited liver; MTX, methotrexate; NASH, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis; ND, not determined; NS, not significant; PBC, primary biliary cirrhosis; SMA, smooth muscle antibodies.

ISSN: 1478-6362