[Cinnamon rolls are not associated with admission for toxic or alcoholic hepatitis in a Danish liver referral centre].

INTRODUCTION: Cinnamon contains cumarin, which may be toxic to the liver. EU-regulations standardardize the amount of cinnamon in pastry including cinnamon rolls. The aim of the study was to investigate if cinnamon intake from pastry was associated with toxic or alcoholic hepatitis.

RESULTS: We registered 58 patients with toxic hepatitis, 38 (66%) women and 20 (34%) men with a median age of 51 (range: 32-80) and 53 (range: 18-78) years, respectively. A total of 22 patients had primarily cholestasis and 36 had hepatitis biochemically. The duration of toxic liver disease from admission to normalization of liver enzymes was similar in the two groups (3.5 ± 3.5 vs 3.6 ± 3.5 months). Toxic hepatitis was most often caused by drugs e.g. NSAID (n = 15; 26%), antibiotics (n = 9; 16%), alternative medicine (n = 7; 12%) and Antabuse (n = 5; 9%). We registered eight patients admitted with severe alcoholic hepatitis, five men and three women, median age of 60 (range: 34-67) years. Alcoholic hepatitis was associated with high alcohol intake. None of the patients with toxic or alcoholic hepatitis reported of excessive intake of cinnamon rolls and there was no evidence of cinnamon added to alcohol of alternative medicine products.

CONCLUSION: Intake of cinnamon from cinnamon rolls is not associated with admission for toxic or alcoholic hepatitis. However, for the diagnosis of toxic liver diseases including alcohol it is very important to have patient information regarding any new drugs, alternative medicine and alcohol intake. Further, other causes of liver diseases should be excluded.

FUNDING: not relevant.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: not relevant.