Dr. Cándido Villanueva, of the Department of Gastrointestinal Pathology of Sant Pau and of the Group of Digestive Pathology of the IIB Sant Pau has coordinated the PREDESCI study, and together with Dr. Jaume Bosch, of the Hospital Clínic-IDIBAPS, are the main authors of the article recently published in the prestigious magazine The Lancet. The study demonstrates for the first time that it is possible to prevent the decompensation of cirrhosis with non-selective beta-blockers (BBNS).
For the study, carried out over 5 years, 631 patients with compensated cirrhosis were examined, of which 210 were finally included. The significance of this project is that it demonstrates for the first time that non-selective beta-blocking drugs (BBNS) , such as propranolol and carvedilol, allow to prevent the clinical decompensation of cirrhosis in asymptomatic patients with high risk of decompensation, manifested by the existence of clinically significant portal hypertension.
It is noteworthy that precisely from the onset of decompensation cirrhosis becomes a serious disease, with complications that can be fatal, requiring repeated hospitalizations, and that lead to the need for liver transplantation.
The appearance of ascites (accumulation of fluid in the peritoneum) was the most frequently observed form of decompensation in the study and non-selective BBNS decreased the risk of developing it by 56%.
All this gives the study a great clinical impact since until now no medication has managed to prevent the decompensation of cirrhosis. On the other hand, the treatment with BBNS is safe and very economical, which greatly facilitates its use.
The work has been financed with competitive grants from the Carlos III Health Institute. Six more hospitals from all over Spain have participated: Vall d’Hebron, Arnau de Vilanova, Germans Trias i Pujol, Ramón y Cajal, Gregorio Marañón, Puerta de Hierro Clinic, all of them integrated into the CIBERehd.
To access the study, click here
