Liver transplantation (LT) remains the mainstay therapy of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). In a recent publication, Berenguer et al., examined the influence of sex on PSC, pre and post- LT using the European Liver Transplant Registry (ELTR). The registry (1980-2017) included 6,463 patients (32% female) representing on average 4% of all transplant indications. This increase was more pronounced in women (from 1.8% in the first cohort to 4.3% in the last cohort). Graft survival rate at 1, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 years was 83.6%, 70.8%, 57.7%, 44.9%, 30.8% and 11.6%, respectively. Variables independently associated with worse survival were male sex, donor and recipient age, cholangiocarcinoma at LT, non-DBD donor and reduced size of the graft. The authors concluded that an increasing number of PSC patients, particularly women, are being transplanted in European countries with better graft outcome in female recipients.
Read the paper by Dr. Berenguer