Gallbladder Disease Claims 146,000 Lives
Gallbladder and biliary diseases affected more than 264 million people globally in 2023. According to findings published in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology, these conditions—including cholelithiasis, cholecystitis, and cholangitis—accounted for over 146,000 deaths that year.
Gene Correction Breakthrough in Liver Disease
Researchers have successfully demonstrated gene correction in a 66-year-old patient with severe alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. This congenital metabolic disorder forces the liver to accumulate misfolded proteins, resulting in progressive organ damage. The case study was published in the Journal of Hepatology.
Standardizing Acute-on-Chronic Liver Failure
Global liver societies, including the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), have issued consensus definitions for acute-on-chronic liver failure. Hepatology introduced the group’s 78th president: Michael Ronan Lucey, MD, of the University of Wisconsin in Madison.
Comparative Efficacy in Bowel Disease
Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology indicates that JAK inhibitors were associated with a higher risk of serious infections in older patients than anti-IL-23 or IL-12/23 blockers. For ulcerative colitis, real-world data in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases showed that ustekinumab (Stelara) had higher clinical remission rates than TNF inhibitors or vedolizumab (Entyvio) when used as a first- or second-line therapy. Among patients with prior biologic exposure, upadacitinib (Rinvoq) had the highest rates.
Rectal Polyp Recurrence Risks
Research from a Polish retrospective cohort study appearing in Gut revealed that rectal lesions are associated with an increased probability of both recurrence and invasive cancer when compared to colonic lesions in individuals who have had endoscopic mucosal resections for large colorectal polyps. Research in the American Journal of Gastroenterology suggests that the risk of post-operative metachronous advanced colorectal neoplasia in patients with early-onset colorectal cancer does not justify more intensive surveillance programs for this group.
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