Milk thistle for alcoholic and/or hepatitis B or C virus liver diseases

Milk thistle may not have significant effects of on mortality or complications of liver diseases in patients with alcoholic and/or hepatitis B or C liver diseases based on the results of high-quality trials.

A Cochrane review included 13 studies with a total of 915 subjects. Milk thistle versus placebo or no intervention had no significant effect on mortality (RR 0.78, 95% CI 0.53 to 1.15), complications of liver disease (RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.83 to 1.09), or liver histology. Liver-related mortality was significantly reduced by milk thistle in all trials (RR 0.50, 95% CI 0.29 to 0.88), but not in high-quality trials (RR 0.57, 95% CI 0.28 to 1.19). Milk thistle was not associated with a significantly increased risk of adverse events (RR 0.83, 95% CI 0.46 to 1.50).

Comment: The quality of evidence is downgraded by study quality (inadequate or unclear allocation concealment, lack of appropriate blinding).

Ədəbiyyat

1. Rambaldi A, Jacobs BP, Gluud C. Milk thistle for alcoholic and/or hepatitis B or C virus liver diseases. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2007 Oct 17;(4):CD003620.