Sjögren syndrome (SS) is characterized by lymphocytic infiltration of exocrine glands, mainly the lacrimal and salivary glands, leading to keratoconjunctivitis sicca and xerostomia. SS is one of the most common autoimmune rheumatic diseases in adults; however, few cases of primary childhood SS with gastrointestinal and liver lesions have been reported in the literature. We report five cases of primary childhood SS with gastrointestinal and liver lesions. Multiple gastric biopsies in four cases revealed atrophic gastritis in the antrum of the stomach or chronic gastritis. Liver biopsies in two cases revealed nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Careful clinical approach and follow-up for gastrointestinal and liver lesions are required.
Purpose
Hepcidin levels have previously been reported to be correlated with liver damage. However, the association between hepcidin levels and liver fibrosis in children with fatty liver disease remains unclear. This study therefore aimed to investigate the pathophysiology of fibrosis in children with fatty liver disease and its association with hepcidin levels.
Methods
This retrospective case series included 12 boys aged 6–17 years who were diagnosed with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) at the Tokyo Medical University Hospital. Sixteen liver biopsy samples from 12 subjects were analyzed. Serum hepcidin levels were assayed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Immunostaining for hepcidin was performed, and the samples were stratified by staining intensity.
Results
Serum hepcidin levels were higher in pediatric NAFLD/NASH patients than in controls. Conversely, a significant inverse correlation was observed between hepcidin immunostaining and Brunt grade scores and between hepcidin scores and gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase, hyaluronic acid, and leukocyte levels. We observed inverse correlations with a high correlation coefficient of >0.4 between hepcidin immunostaining and aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, total bile acid, and platelet count.
Conclusion
There was a significant inverse correlation between hepcidin immunoreactivity and fibrosis in pediatric NAFLD patients; however, serum hepcidin levels were significantly higher, suggesting that these patients experienced a reduction in the hepcidin-producing ability of the liver in response to iron levels, leading to subsequent fibrosis. Therefore, hepcidin levels can be used as markers to identify the progression of fibrosis in patients with NAFLD.
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