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Study finds hydroxychloroquine lowers risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in rheumatoid arthritis patients
Medical Xpress / ACR Convergence 2023, the American College of Rheumatology's (ACR) annual meeting ^ | Nov. 7, 2023 | Hsin-Hua Chen, MD, Ph.D. et al

Posted on 11/12/2023 8:53:41 PM PST by ConservativeMind

New research shows that treating rheumatoid arthritis with hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) reduced the risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, especially in women and men who are 50 years old and younger.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune inflammatory disease marked by chronic joint inflammation leading to joint damage and loss of function. It can also affect tissues and organs outside the joints, including the eyes, heart, and lungs. Although not a classic complication of RA, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD or MAFLD), is prevalent among RA patients, affecting about 35% of men and 22% of women.

The researchers drew on population-based claims data from the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan from 2000 to 2020. The study included more than 21,000 patients, with a mean standard deviation age of 51.9, and the ratio of women to men was 3 to 2.

A time-varying, multivariable Cox regression model was used to estimate the adjusted hazard ratios with 95% confidence interval for an association between HCQ and NAFLD, after adjusting for potential confounders. Subgroup analyses looked at patients based on sex and age (men and women younger and older than 50).

The study's results show that 399 (1.86%) patients developed NAFLD after more than eight years. The study also suggests taking HCQ was associated with a significantly lower risk of NAFLD, especially in women younger than 50.

Chen says this association may be due to the effect of HCQ on adiponectin, an adipokine inversely linked to insulin resistance, inflammation and NAFLD.

"The mechanism of decreasing the risk of NAFLD by HCQ may be its [ability] to increase adiponectin levels," Chen says. "Estrogen has been reported to inhibit adiponectin production and estrogens are inversely associated with adiponectin levels. Therefore, the reduced NAFLD risk with HCQ may be more prominent in premenopausal women."

(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...


TOPICS: Health/Medicine
KEYWORDS: estrogen; hcq; hydroxychloroquine; liver
HCQ has another benefit.
1 posted on 11/12/2023 8:53:41 PM PST by ConservativeMind
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To: Mazey; ckilmer; goodnesswins; Jane Long; BusterDog; jy8z; ProtectOurFreedom; matthew fuller; ...

The “Take Charge Of Your Health” Ping List

This high volume ping list is for health articles and studies which describe something you or your doctor, when informed, may be able to immediately implement for your benefit.

Email me to get on either the “Common/Top Issues” (20 - 25% fewer pings) or “Everything” list.

2 posted on 11/12/2023 8:54:13 PM PST by ConservativeMind (Trump: Befuddling Democrats, Republicans, and the Media for the benefit of the US and all mankind.)
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To: ConservativeMind

So, after folks started using Ivermectin, doctors started seeing that it was having beneficial effects on cancer patients.

Enter a video floating around of a doctor explaining that it would appear that ‘parasitic clusters’ are being misdiagnosed as ‘tumors’. Hence, the anti-parasitic effects of Ivermectin are working to rid folks of these ‘clusters’(tumors).

Of course, Big Pharma would fight to the death, any attempt at research into this hypothesis as it would mean no more chemotherapy drugs for many.


3 posted on 11/12/2023 8:57:19 PM PST by qaz123
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To: qaz123

The hidden benefits of ivermectin should be studied. If it turns out to be the Swiss army knife of benefits, the research will generate profit for those who finance it. The word “wealth” has a nice ring to it.


4 posted on 11/12/2023 9:14:07 PM PST by jonrick46 (Leftniks chase illusions of motherships at the end of the pier.)
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To: jonrick46

Please explain how that profit occurs. Would this be the underpants gnome business model?


5 posted on 11/13/2023 3:01:26 AM PST by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: ConservativeMind

Yeah, but you have to inject Drano into your body before that hydro stuff works. I’m pretty sure CDC gave us the heads up on this stuff three years ago.


6 posted on 11/13/2023 4:13:55 AM PST by hardspunned (Former DC GOP globalist stooge)
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To: ConservativeMind

This “study” is extremely weak, at best. It is a retroactive look at records in a database. Actual details of patient care are lacking.

Because of the nature of statistics, an analysis which finds that A correlates with B is actually a spurious result. “Spurious” means it isn’t real.

Physicians who are not trained in research theory and methodology love to do these kinds of studies, as it does not involve actually designing a rigorous controlled study. All they have to do is comb through databases and hand over the numbers to the statistician to crunch. If the statistician finds a correlation between any two variables in the numbers, the physician has something to publish. And these studies are just about worthless.

Only a randomized clinical trial (RCT) can demonstrate a real cause-and-effect relationship. In the drug development world, that clinical trial typically does not happen until the candidate drug has been shown to have therapeutic effect in animals, although someone might be able to ethically justify doing a trial of HCQ in humans. The Medical Xpress article even says this.

Given that the development of NAFLD only occurs in 1.86% of RA patients, the RCT would have to enroll a large number of participants.

There are other issues with this retrospective crunching of numbers from a registry, as well. For example, only 399 people out of 41,791 were recorded as having developed NAFLD. Obesity, NSAID use, and prednisolone use were all associated with development of NAFLD. These are probably more valid associations than the association of HCQ with decrease of NAFLD. This is because 399 NAFLD patients were being compared against a huge background of 41,392 patients who did not develop NAFLD. But the converse, trying to compare 41,392 patients who did not develop NAFLD against a background of 399 who did is problematic.


7 posted on 11/13/2023 5:15:53 AM PST by exDemMom (Dr. exDemMom, infectious disease and vaccines research specialist.)
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To: ConservativeMind

My VA doc is gonna flip.


8 posted on 11/13/2023 7:24:30 AM PST by Delta 21 (If anyone is treasonous, it is those who call me such.)
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To: jonrick46

They already studied it and were so impressed they gave the inventor the Nobel Peace Prize in Medicine. Not veterinarian medicine. HUMAN Medicine.

Covid came along they tossed it all under the bus in hopes of even bigger and more wealth.


9 posted on 11/13/2023 7:29:29 AM PST by Delta 21 (If anyone is treasonous, it is those who call me such.)
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To: ConservativeMind

this would be especially interesting if hcq could reduce fatty liver disease in people who did not have rheumatoid arthritus. Most— but not all— people with pot bellies have some kind of fatty liver disease.


10 posted on 11/14/2023 7:21:48 AM PST by ckilmer (ui)
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