Abstract

BACKGROUND: Chronic liver diseases (CLDs) are a group of illnesses characterized by hepatic insufficiency associated with abnormal liver function tests (LFTs). Although plethora traditional pharmacological drugs are available, they have many limitations either in their efficiency or adverse effects. AIMS: To investigate the effectiveness and safety of herbal Liv.52 supplement in the treatment of chronic liver disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS: An interventional randomized blind clinical trial was conducted on a total of 200 patients with chronic liver disease. Patients were randomly divided into two equal groups. Group A, 100 patients who received Liv.52 supplement alongside their usual therapy regime. Group B, 100 patients with no Liv.52 supplement and restricted for their usual therapy regime. Patients were followed up for 6 months for clinical assessment, with laboratory investigations to assess routine blood chemistry and liver function tests were done after 1, 2 and 6 months of therapy. RESULTS: After 6 months of treatment, the mean alanine transaminase (ALT) in treated group was 56.54±24.32 U/L which was significantly lower than that of controls (70.39±27.74 U/L). On the other hand, the mean serum albumin after six months’ treatment was 3.54±0.52 g/dL in treated group compared with 2.96±0.36 g/dL in controls with highly significant difference. After two month’s treatment, the mean total leukocyte (WBC) count in treated group was 7.37±1.49 × 10 /ml which was significantly lower than that of controls (8.11±1.38 ×103/ml). In contrast, hemoglobin (Hb) was significantly higher in treated group than controls at one, two- and six-months’ post treatment with significant differences. CONCLUSIONS: Liv.52 has a hepato-protective effect in patients with chronic non-infectious hepatitis as well as having extrahepatic effects through reducing total leukocyte count and increasing the hemoglobin. There was no evidence of short-term adverse effect of Liv.52.

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