Citations 2
Gaps in Guideline Adherence for Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis in North America—A 5‐Year Analysis
Martins, Adrielly , Reddy, A. Nagarjuna, Dean, Richard, Gordon, Stuart C. , Pratt, Daniel, Li, Michael, Forman, Lisa , Lammert, Craig , Yiman, Kidist, Gallegos‐Orozco, Juan F. , Carey, Elizabeth J. , Lytvyak, Ellina , Goldberg, David S. , Naugler, Scott, Yu, Lei, Assis, David N. , Bowlus, Christopher L., Bowlus, Christopher L. , Bonder, Alan , Schlansky, Barry L , Montano-Loza, Aldo J , Lytvyak, Ellina , Goldberg, David , Assis, David N , Levy, Cynthia , Bowlus, Christopher L , Reddy, Anish , Dean, Richard , Li, Michael, Montaño‐Loza, Aldo J. , Levy, Cynthia
Liver International | April 11, 2026 | Volume: 46 | Issue: 5 | Pages: No page available
ABSTRACT Background and Aims Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a progressive cholestatic liver disease with a high risk of malignancy and limited therapeutic options. Both the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) and the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) recommend structured baseline evaluation, fibrosis staging and longitudinal surveillance. However, real‐world adherence to these practices in North America remains unclear. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 1300 patients with PSC enrolled in the Consortium for Autoimmune Liver Diseases (CALiD) registry between 2018 and 2024 across 19 centres in North America. Guideline adherence was assessed for diagnostic measures at baseline (colonoscopy to establish IBD status and noninvasive fibrosis staging) and longitudinal surveillance (colonoscopy in PSC‐IBD, abdominal imaging for hepatobiliary cancer surveillance and CA 19‐9 testing). Prescribing patterns for ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) were also characterised. Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate demographic, clinical and socioeconomic predictors of adherence. Results At diagnosis, 78.8% of eligible patients with available data underwent colonoscopy to establish IBD status, and 45% underwent noninvasive fibrosis staging. During follow‐up, only 30%–35% of patients with PSC‐IBD underwent colonoscopy annually, while abdominal imaging for hepatobiliary cancer surveillance declined from 74% at Year 1 to 51% by Year 4. CA 19‐9 testing was documented in 47% over 5‐year period. UDCA was prescribed in 51% at baseline, with median dose of 12.5 mg/kg/day. Socioeconomic factors, including lower education and household income, were associated with reduced adherence, while cirrhosis strongly predicted completion of surveillance imaging. Conclusions Adherence to guideline‐based care in PSC remains suboptimal in North America Suboptimal adherence was observed for strongly recommended practices with longstanding guideline support (colonoscopy to establish IBD status; annual CRC surveillance in PSC‐IBD) as well as practices where guideline consensus has evolved more recently or where societies differ (baseline fibrosis assessment; hepatobiliary cancer imaging). Efforts to standardise care and address socioeconomic barriers are urgently needed to improve outcomes.
African American race does not confer an increased risk of clinical events in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis
Yazdanfar, Maryam , Zepeda, Joseph , Dean, Richard , Wu, Jialin , Goldberg, David S. , Lammert, Craig , Prenner, Stacey, Reddy, K. Rajender , Pratt, Daniel S. , Forman, Lisa , Assis, David N. , Lytvyak, Ellina , Carey, Elizabeth J. , Korzenik, Joshua R. , Karagozian, Raffi, Hameed, Bilal , Chandna, Shaun , Yu, Lei , Bowlus, Christopher L. , Korzenik, Joshua , Bowlus, Christopher L , Lytvyak, Ellina , Levy, Cynthia , Montaño‐Loza, Aldo J. , Gordon, Stuart C. , Ahn, Joseph , Schlansky, Barry L
Hepatology Communications | January 29, 2024 | Volume: 8 | Issue: 2 | Pages: No page available
Background: The natural history of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) among African Americans (AA) is not well understood. Methods: Transplant-free survival and hepatic decompensation–free survival were assessed using a retrospective research registry from 16 centers throughout North America. Patients with PSC alive without liver transplantation after 2008 were included. Diagnostic delay was defined from the first abnormal liver test to the first abnormal cholangiogram/liver biopsy. Socioeconomic status was imputed by the Zip code. Results: Among 850 patients, 661 (77.8%) were non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs), and 85 (10.0%) were AA. There were no significant differences by race in age at diagnosis, sex, or PSC type. Inflammatory bowel disease was more common in NHWs (75.8% vs. 51.8% p =0.0001). The baseline (median, IQR) Amsterdam-Oxford Model score was lower in NHWs (14.3, 13.4–15.2 vs. 15.1, 14.1–15.7, p =0.002), but Mayo risk score (0.03, −0.8 to 1.1 vs. 0.02, −0.7 to 1.0, p =0.83), Model for End-stage Liver Disease (5.9, 2.8–10.7 vs. 6.4, 2.6–10.4, p =0.95), and cirrhosis (27.4% vs. 27.1%, p =0.95) did not differ. Race was not associated with hepatic decompensation, and after adjusting for clinical variables, neither race nor socioeconomic status was associated with transplant-free survival. Variables independently associated with death/liver transplant (HR, 95% CI) included age at diagnosis (1.04, 1.02–1.06, p <0.0001), total bilirubin (1.06, 1.04–1.08, p <0.0001), and albumin (0.44, 0.33–0.61, p <0.0001). AA race did not affect the performance of prognostic models. Conclusions: AA patients with PSC have a lower rate of inflammatory bowel disease but similar progression to hepatic decompensation and liver transplant/death compared to NHWs.