Table 1. Summary of PSC and HC characteristics in the study cohorts.
Demographics for IBD controls are given in Supplementary Table 4. None of the HCs used any of the stated medications. Continuous data given as median (min-max), count data as n (%).
| German cohort | Norwegian cohort | PSC G vs N |
HC G vs N |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSC (n = 67) |
HC (n = 120) |
P-value | PSC (n = 69) |
HC (n = 38) |
P-value | P-value | P-value | |
| Age, years | 47.0 (17–74) | 46.5 (21–72) | .353 | 48.0 (21–69) | 47.0 (35–61) | .852 | .880 | .269 |
| Sex, male | 43 (64.2) | 53 (44.2) | .010 | 45 (65.2) | 24 (63.2) | .836 | 1.000 | .064 |
| BMI, kg/m2* | 23.7 (15.7–32.9) | 23.6 (19.0–42.7) | .893 | 25.1 (17.7–36.9) | 26.0 (19.4–39.4) | .654 | .003 | .013 |
| Smoking, yes | 11 (16.4) | 48 (40.0) | <.001 | 1 (1.4) | 6 (15.8) | .008 | .002 | .011 |
| AB last 6 months, yes# | 16 (23.9) | NA | 8 (11.6) | 5 (13.2) | 1.000 | .098 | ||
| IBD, yes | 33 (49.3) | 0 | 46 (66.7) | 0 | .060 | |||
| Ulcerative colitis, yes | 32 (47.8) | 36 (52.2) | .730 | |||||
| Crohn’s disease, yes | 1 (1.5) | 10 (14.5) | .009 | Available for n | ||||
| Medication, yes | in G/N | |||||||
| PPI | 0 | 2 (2.9) | .500 | 67/69 | ||||
| Statins | NA | 0 | 67/69 | |||||
| Ursodeoxycholic acid | 63 (94.0) | 23 (33.3) | <.001 | 60/69 | ||||
| Prednisolone / cortisone | 13 (19.4) | 9 (13.0) | .420 | 60/69 | ||||
| 5-ASA | 29 (43.3) | 29 (42.0) | 1.000 | 61/69 | ||||
| Infliximab | 2 (3.0) | 1 (1.4) | .614 | 60/69 | ||||
| Azathioprine | 9 (13.4) | 9 (13.0) | 1.000 | 60/69 | ||||
| Budesonide | 4 (6.0) | 3 (4.3) | .709 | 57/69 | ||||
| PSC specific variables | ||||||||
| PSC duration, years | 7.0 (1.0–35.0) | 9.5 (1.6–31.7) | .057 | 61/69 | ||||
| IBD duration, years | 15.0 (1.0–40.0) | 14.2 (1.2–44.5) | .610 | 31/41 | ||||
| Other autoimmune disease, yes | NA | 18 (26.1) | 0/64 | |||||
| Mayo risk score | NA | -0.07 (-1.92–3.33) | 0/51 | |||||
| Cirrhosis, yes | 3 (4.5) | NA | 67/0 | |||||
| P-ANCA positive | NA | 26 (37.7) | 0/35 | |||||
| Creatinine, μmol/L | NA | 68.0 (42.0–100.0) | 0/63 | |||||
| Bilirubin, μmol/L | 10.3 (3.42–34.2) | 13.0 (5.0–114.0) | .007 | 43/62 | ||||
| Albumin, g/L | NA | 43.0 16.0–47.0 | 0/58 | |||||
| AST, U/L | NA | 42.0 (18.0–197.0) | 0/58 | |||||
| ALT, U/L | 37.5 (11.0–286.0) | 51.0 (14.0–331.0) | .021 | 44/63 | ||||
| ALP, U/L | 117.0 (44.0–590.0) | 152.5 (30.0–598.0) | .004 | 44/62 | ||||
| GGT, U/L | NA | 165.0 (12.0–1576.0) | 0/61 | |||||
BMI data missing for n = 10 HCs in the German cohort, other data complete unless otherwise stated.
None used AB <6 weeks before sample inclusion, data on AB use >six weeks <six months NA for German HCs. AB, antibiotics; ALP, alkaline phosphatase; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; BMI, body mass index; G, German cohort; GGT, gamma-glutamyltransferase; HC, healthy controls; IBD, inflammatory bowel disease; N, Norwegian cohort; NA, not available; PPI, proton pump inhibitors; PSC, primary sclerosing cholangitis; 5-ASA, 5-Aminosalicylic acid.