Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40197885›Full record

ArticleArquivos de gastroenterologia2025

PREVALENCE AND RISK FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH NON-ALCOHOLIC STEATOHEPATITIS IN PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS ON HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE: A POPULATION-BASED STUDY.

Antoine Boustany, Somtochukwu Onwuzo, Adejoke Johnson, David Farhat, Mimi Najjar, Hadi Khaled Abou Zeid, Chidera N Onwuzo, Mohamad-Noor Abu-Hammour, Rashid Abdel-Razeq, Islam Mohamed and 2 more

Abstract readMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Article in Arquivos de gastroenterologia, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

12 authors.

Antoine BoustanyDivision of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine, Jacksonville, Florida, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4661-1443
Somtochukwu OnwuzoDepartment of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Allegheny Health Network, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5060-3131
Adejoke JohnsonJacobi Medical Center/North Central Bronx Hospital, Bronx, New York, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1845-5989
David FarhatDepartment of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0006-1111-9447
Mimi NajjarThe Sydney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0007-4609-2157
Hadi Khaled Abou ZeidDepartment of Medicine and Medical Sciences, University of Balamand, Koura, Lebanon.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5111-3043
Chidera N OnwuzoDepartment of Internal Medicine, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0008-5674-3424
Mohamad-Noor Abu-HammourDepartment of Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5579-9807
Rashid Abdel-RazeqDepartment of Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8928-3294
Islam MohamedDepartment of Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9408-4895
Barish ErenDepartment of Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0002-2503-4947
Imad AsaadDepartment of Gastroenterology, Firelands Health, Sandusky, OH, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0648-6625

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundNon-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is becoming a leading cause of liver disease in the US, while Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) affects a significant portion of the global population. In recent times, newer drugs have been developed to slow down the progression of RA, one of which is hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). Despite HCQ being linked to slowly progressive transaminitis, its role in the development of NASH remains unclear. Our research fills this gap by examining the prevalence and risk factors of developing NASH in patients with RA on HCQ.

methodsThis retrospective cohort study analyzed 619,350 adult patients diagnosed with RA. Data were sourced from a multicenter database covering over 360 hospitals across 26 healthcare systems in the US from 1999 to September 2022, excluding pregnant individuals. Multivariate regression analysis assessed the risk of NASH, adjusting for confounders including smoking history, male gender, dyslipidemia, hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, and hydroxychloroquine use. Statistical significance was set at P<0.05, with analyses conducted using R version 4.0.2 (R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria, 2008).

resultsIn a cohort of 79.4 million individuals, 619,350 non-pregnant subjects had rheumatoid arthritis, with 3,080 diagnosed with NASH, while 616,270 did not. Patients with NASH displayed a higher prevalence of smoking history, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, and HCQ use. Multivariate regression analysis identified increased NASH risk in smokers (OR: 1.24; 95%CI: 1.14-1.36), males (OR: 0.88; 95%CI: 0.81-0.96), individuals with dyslipidemia (OR: 1.34; 95%CI: 1.21-1.47), hypertension (OR: 1.11; 95%CI: 1.00-1.27), type 2 diabetes mellitus (OR: 3.24; 95%CI: 2.98-3.54), obesity (OR: 3.59; 95%CI: 3.31-3.89), and hydroxychloroquine use (OR: 1.79; 95%CI: 1.65-1.94).

conclusionRA patients on HCQ showed an increased prevalence and odds of developing NASH, even after adjusting for common confounding factors. This indicates that HCQ may play a role in the development of hepatic steatosis and fibrosis. Clinicians should consider this association to prevent advanced liver disease. Future research should focus on optimal screening for early detection and enhancing patient outcomes.

background• The study investigates the relationship between nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), analyzing the impact of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) use on the development of NASH.

background• HCQ slows the progression of RA; however, its effect on the liver is not yet fully understood.

background• This multicenter retrospective cohort study analyzed 619,350 adult patients diagnosed with RA.

background• RA patients on HCQ showed an increased prevalence and higher odds of developing NASH. This association should be considered to prevent advanced liver disease.

Indexed as

Antirheumatic AgentsArthritis, RheumatoidHydroxychloroquineNon-alcoholic Fatty Liver DiseaseAdultAgedFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPrevalenceRetrospective StudiesRisk FactorsAntirheumatic AgentsHydroxychloroquine

Identifiers

PMID40197885
PMCPMC12043191

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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.