Clinical efficacy of compound glycyrrhizin tablets in the treatment of children with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Abstract:

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of compound glycyrrhizin tablets in the treatment of children with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Methods A total of 65 children with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease between June 2014 and May 2016 were randomly divided into two groups:compound glycyrrhizin tablets treatment (n=33) and liver-protecting tablets treatment (n=32). The course of treatment was 24 weeks for both groups. The serum levels of alanine aminotransferase, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, hyaluronic acid, procollagen type III, type IV collagen, and laminin were measured before and after treatment for both groups. Results There was a significant difference in the overall response rate between the compound glycyrrhizin tablets treatment and liver-protecting tablets treatment groups (85% vs 50%; P < 0.05). Both groups had a significant reduction in the serum level of alanine aminotransferase after treatment, but the compound glycyrrhizin tablets treatment group had a significantly greater reduction (P < 0.01). The compound glycyrrhizin tablets treatment group showed significant improvements in the serum levels of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase and the four markers of liver fibrosis (hyaluronic acid, procollagen type III, type IV collagen, and laminin) after treatment (P < 0.05), while the liver-protecting tablets treatment group had no significant improvements in these markers. Conclusions Compound glycyrrhizin tablets can effectively improve hepatic function and reduce serum levels of liver fibrosis markers in children with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and have a better clinical efficacy than liver-protecting tablets.