In this study, a questionnaire was distributed to hospital-recruited patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). The results showed that a lower proportion of patients with PSC were daily coffee drinkers than control subjects, both currently (76% vs 86%; odds ratio [OR], 0.52) and at the age of 18 years (35% vs 49%; OR, 0.58). The associations were mainly attributed to differences observed in men. Twenty percent of the patients were ever (current or former) daily smokers compared with 43% of control subjects (OR, 0.33). Ever daily smoking before PSC diagnosis was associated with older age at diagnosis (42 years vs 32 years). Ever daily smoking and being a coffee drinker at the age of 18 years were independently and negatively associated with PSC. Fewer female patients with PSC than control subjects reported ever use of hormonal contraception. Among female patients, there was a strong correlation between increasing number of children before the diagnosis of PSC and increasing age at diagnosis (r = 0.63). The authors conclude that coffee consumption and smoking might protect against development of PSC. In women, the disease might be influenced by hormonal factors. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol, September 2013. PMID: 24076415
