Evidence map›Paper›PMID 17636817›Full record

SynthesisThe Cochrane database of systematic reviews2007

Azathioprine for primary biliary cirrhosis.

Y Gong, E Christensen, C Gluud

Open access · greenAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 2007. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
11citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
1.1field-weighted citation impact, top 25% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

11 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 32 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Chlorambucil for patients with primary biliary cirrhosis.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2012
    Pooled it
  5. Azathioprine for primary biliary cirrhosis.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2007
    Pooled it
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Update on Emerging Treatment Options for Primary Biliary Cholangitis.Hepatic medicine : evidence and research · 2020
    Review
  9. Review
  10. Article
  11. Primary biliary cirrhosis and liver transplantation.Intractable & rare diseases research · 2012
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Y GongCopenhagen Trial Unit, Centre for Clinical Intervention Research, Cochrane Hepato-Biliary Group, Rigshospitalet, Dept. 3344, Blegdamsvej 9, Copenhagen, Denmark, DK-2100. ygong@ctu.rh.dk
E Christensen
C Gluud
Bispebjerg Hospital · DKRigshospitalet · DK

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAzathioprine is used for patients with primary biliary cirrhosis, but the therapeutic responses in randomised clinical trials have been conflicting.

objectivesTo assess the benefits and harms of azathioprine for patients with primary biliary cirrhosis. SEARCH STRATEGY: Randomised clinical trials were identified by searching The Cochrane Hepato-Biliary Group Controlled Trials Register, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) in The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Science Citation Index Expanded, The Chinese Biomedical Database, and LILACS, and manual searches of bibliographies to September 2005. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised clinical trials comparing azathioprine versus placebo, no intervention, or another drug were included irrespective of blinding, language, year of publication, and publication status. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Our primary outcomes were mortality, and mortality or liver transplantation. Dichotomous outcomes were reported as relative risk (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Continuous outcomes were reported as weighted mean difference (WMD) or standardised mean difference (SMD). We examined the intervention effects by random-effects and fixed-effect models. MAIN

resultsWe identified two randomised clinical trials with 293 patients. Only one of the trials was regarded as having low bias risk. Azathioprine did not significantly decrease mortality (RR 0.80, 95% CI 0.49 to 1.31, 2 trials). Azathioprine did not improve pruritus at one-year intervention (RR 0.71, 95% CI 0.28 to 1.84, 1 trial), cirrhosis development, or quality of life. Patients given azathioprine experienced significantly more adverse events than patients given no intervention or placebo (RR 2.44, 95% CI 1.14 to 5.20, 2 trials). The common adverse events were rash, severe diarrhoea, and bone marrow depression. AUTHORS'

conclusionsThere is no evidence to support the use of azathioprine for patients with primary biliary cirrhosis. Researchers who are interested in performing further randomised clinical trials should be aware of the risks of adverse events.

Indexed as

AzathioprineHumansImmunosuppressive AgentsLiver Cirrhosis, BiliaryQuality of LifeRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicAzathioprineImmunosuppressive Agents

Identifiers

PMID17636817
PMCPMC8908462
OpenAlexW1608555909

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.