The prevalence of nodular regenerative hyperplasia of the liver in long-term thiopurine-treated inflammatory bowel disease patients.

INTRODUCTION: Nodular regenerative hyperplasia (NRH) has been associated with thiopurine therapy in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but prevalence and prognosis of NRH remain unclear. This study is a cross-sectional search for NRH in IBD patients with long-term azathioprine or 6-mercaptopurine treatment. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty-three IBD patients with continuous azathioprine/6-mercaptopurine treatment for at least 5 years were included. Laboratory tests, thiopurine metabolite levels, liver histology, MRI were examined for NRH and signs of portal hypertension. RESULTS: NRH was not observed in this cohort of 33 patients. Nevertheless, some possibly related signs of vascular changes were found by MRI in three patients. Also, splenomegaly, which may be associated with portal hypertension, was found in one patient. No high thiopurine dose neither high metabolite levels were found in these patients. CONCLUSION: No NRH was found in this group of IBD patients with long-term azathioprine/6-mercaptopurine treatment. Larger multicenter studies are needed to determine the prevalence of NRH in thiopurine-treated IBD patients.

Extensive forearm deep venous thrombosis following a severe infliximab infusion reaction.

Here we describe a patient with Crohn's disease who developed a severe infliximab infusion reaction (IIR), complicated 1 day later by severe swelling of the forearm and hand ipsilateral to the site of infliximab infusion. This proved to be extensive forearm deep venous thrombosis. The site of thrombosis and the chronological relationship with the IIR implicates a hypersensitivity to infliximab in the causation of the venous thrombosis in this case. With an increasing trend towards re-treating patients with known IIRs, clinicians should be aware of this potentially serious and previously unreported complication.