Finasteride and methadone use and risk of advanced hepatitis C related liver disease.

Dig Dis Sci

Clinical Epidemiology and Outcomes Program, Houston VA Health Services Research and Development Center of Excellence, Michael E. DeBakey Veteran Affairs Medical Center, Houston, TX, USA.

Published: November 2012


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Article Abstract

Aim: We evaluated the association between two medications that alter bioavailable androgen levels, finasteride and methadone, and risk of advanced HCV-related liver disease.

Background: Males have strikingly greater cirrhosis risk across disease etiologies, including hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study in HCV+ male veterans, we determined medication use by up to 15-year medical record review, and hepatic pathology by the FibroSURE-ActiTest (F3/F4-F4, advanced vs. F0-F3, mild fibrosis; and A2/A3-A3, advanced vs. A0-A2, mild inflammation). We performed race-adjusted and race-stratified multivariate analyses.

Results: Among 571 HCV+ males, 43 % were White and 57 % African-American. There were non-significant decreased risks with finasteride use (OR(adj advanced fibrosis) = 0.75, 95 % CI 0.39-1.45 and OR(adj advanced inflammation) = 0.74, 95 % CI 0.41-1.43). For methadone, there was a non-significant 41 % increased advanced fibrosis risk in Whites and 51 % reduced risk in AA. White male methadone-users had 2.1-fold excess advanced inflammation risk (p = 0.15).

Conclusions: Our preliminary study results suggest finasteride use is not significantly associated with a decreased risk of advanced hepatic fibrosis or inflammation in HCV+ males. The ethnically-divergent results for methadone associated fibrosis risk and finding of potentially increased inflammation risk in White males suggests the need for additional research.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10620-012-2231-3DOI Listing

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