Effects of Silymarin on Treatment Naïve Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B Infection-A Randomized Controlled Trial

Copyright: © 2014 Uchenna OC, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Background: Silymarin, an extract of milk thistle (silybum marianum) is widely used in the treatment of patients with chronic liver disease yet its beneficial effects remain controversial. Aim: To determine the effect of silymarin on liver biochemistry and health related quality of life (HRQOL) in treatment naïve patients with chronic hepatitis B infection. Methods: This was a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial conducted at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Cross river state. Patients with chronic hepatitis B were randomized to receive silymarin or placebo for 4 weeks. Their liver function tests and HRQOL were assessed at baseline and post-treatment. Results: Eighty-six persons were enrolled into the study. Seventy-nine completed the study. Silymarin use was associated (p<0.05) with improvement in serum alanine and aspartate aminotransferase and HRQOL from baseline but not with serum bilirubin and alkaline phosphatase. Conclusion: Silymarin use among patients with chronic hepatitis B is associated with improvement in liver function tests especially markers of liver inflammation and HRQOL