ABSTRACT
ObjectiveTo investigate the value of aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI), fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) score, and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase-to-platelet ratio (GPR) in diagnosis of liver inflammation grade in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). MethodsA total of 545 patients with CHB who underwent percutaneous liver biopsy and routine laboratory examinations during hospitalization in Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center Affiliated to Fudan University from October 2016 to October 2019 were enrolled. Inflammation grade (G) was determined according to the Scheuer scoring system, and APRI, FIB-4, and GPR were calculated based on related clinical indicators. The t-test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups; the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. A Spearman correlation analysis was used to investigate the correlation between two variables. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the three serum noninvasive diagnostic models in determining liver inflammation grade, and the Delong test was used for comparison of the area under the ROC curve (AUC). ResultsAmong the 545 patients, 224 had grade G0-1 liver inflammation, 209 had grade G2 liver inflammation, and 112 had grade G3 liver inflammation. The Spearman correlation analysis showed that APRI, FIB-4, and GPR were positively correlated with liver inflammation grade (r=0.611, 0.470, and 0.563, all P＜0.001). APRI, FIB-4, and GPR had an AUC of 0.820, 0.719, and 0782, respectively, in the diagnosis of G≥2 liver inflammation, with optimal cut-off values of 0.53, 1.48, and 0.20, respectively; for the diagnosis of G≥2 liver inflammation, GPR had a better performance than FIB-4 (P=0.01) and a slightly lower performance than APRI (P=0.048). The stratified analysis based on alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level showed that in the ≤1×upper limit of normal (ULN) group, the (1-2)×ULN group, and the (2-5)×ULN group, APRI had an AUC of 0.847, 0.786, and 0.724, respectively, in the diagnosis of G≥2 liver inflammation, FIB-4 had an AUC of 0.777, 0.729, and 0.626, respectively, and GPR had an AUC of 0.801, 0.781, and 0.607, respectively; the subgroup analysis showed that GPR had a similar diagnostic performance to APRI and FIB-4 in all ALT stratification groups except the (2-5)×ULN group, in which GPR had a lower diagnostic performance than APRI (P=0.042). APRI, FIB-4, and GPR had an AUC of 0.791, 0.725, and 0.801, respectively, in the diagnosis of G≥3 liver inflammation, with optimal cut-off values of 0.66, 1.49, and 0.25, respectively; in the diagnosis of G≥3 liver inflammation, GPR had a similar diagnostic performance to APRI and a better diagnostic performance than FIB-4 (P=0.006). The stratified analysis based on ALT level showed that in the ≤1×ULN group, the (1-2)×ULN group, and the (2-5)×ULN group, APRI had an AUC of 0.900, 0.742, and 0.693, respectively, in the diagnosis of G≥3 liver inflammation, FIB-4 had an AUC of 0.874, 0.683, and 0.644, respectively, and GPR had an AUC of 0.890, 0.805, and 0.668, respectively. The subgroup analysis showed that GPR had a similar diagnostic performance to APRI and FIB-4 in all ALT stratification groups except the (1-2)×ULN group, in which GPR had a better diagnostic performance than FIB-4(P=0.015). ConclusionAPRI, FIB-4, and GPR may accurately diagnose liver inflammation grade in CHB patients, which helps to monitor the progression of CHB and determine the timing of antiviral therapy.
ABSTRACT
Objective To assess the diagnostic performance of liver stiffness measurement(LSM)and serum markers on hepatic fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B(CHB)patients with alanine aminotransferase(ALT)less than or equal to two times the upper limit of normal(≤2×ULN).Methods A total of 284 CHB patients with ALT≤2×ULN who were treated in Department of Hepatobiliary Medicine,Public Health Clinical Center,Shanghai from October 2015 to December 2017 were analyzed.FibroScan,routine blood tests and serum fibrosis markers were conducted on the day or one day before liver biopsy.The Scheuer scoring system was used for liver histologic assessment.Aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ration index(APRI)and FIB-4 were calculated.Based on the results of liver pathology,the area under receiver operating characteristic curve(AUROC)was used to evaluate the value of LSM and serum markers in the diagnosis of liver fibrosis stage.Non-normal distribution variables were expressed as M(QR)as appropriate,and compared by analysis of Kruskal-Wallis test as appropriate.The correlation between two variables was analyzed by Spearman correlation analysis.Results Of 284 CHB patients,175 were male and 109 were female.For inflammatory grading,175 cases were G1 grade,88 cases were G2,and 21 cases were G3.For fibrosis grading,153 cases were S1,53 cases were S2,34 cases were S3,and 44 cases were S4.Spearman correlation analysis showed that LSM,APRI and FIB-4 were positively correlated with hepatic fibrosis stage(r=0.650,0.484,and 0.317,respectively,all P<0.01).The AUC of LSM for predicting fibrosis≥S2,≥S3,and S4 were 0.840,0.902,and 0.942,respectively.The cut-off of LSM values were 6.10,8.40,and 10.10 kPa,respectively.The values of AUC of APRI and FIB-4 for predicting fibrosis≥S2 were 0.755 and 0.638,respectively,those for predicting fibrosis≥S3 were 0.737 and 0.657,respectively,and those for S4 were 0.804 and 0.694,respectively.The AUCs of LSM for predicting fibrosis≥S2 in patients with ALT≤1×ULN and those with ALT>1 -≤2×ULN were 0.857 and 0.813,respectively,those for fibrosis≥S3 were 0.890 and 0.892,respectively,and those for S4 were 0.925 and 0.908,respectively.The cut-off of LSM were 5.90 and 7.80 kPa,8.10 and 9.50 kPa,8.40 and 10.40 kPa,respectively.Conclusions LSM could accurately assess the degree of liver fibrosis in CHB patients with ALT≤2×ULN,which is superior to serum markers for predicting liver fibrosis stage.
ABSTRACT
Objective To assess the clinical diagnostic performance of liver stiffness measurement (LSM) and aspartate transaminase (AST)-to-platelet (PLT) ratio index (APRI) for liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) less than or equal to five times of the upper limit of normal (≤5×upper limit of normal [ULN]).Methods FibroScan,blood routine and liver function test were conducted at the day or one day before liver biopsy in 383 CHB patients with ALT≤5 × ULN.The Scheuer scoring system was used for liver histologic assessment.APRI was calculated.Based on the results of liver pathology,the areas under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of LSM and APRI for diagnosis of liver fibrosis stage were compared.Results The median LSM were 5.10 kPa for S0 fibrosis stage,5.20 kPa for S1,6.60 kPa for S2,10.10 kPa for S3,and 18.80 kPa for S4.The median APRI values were 0.36,0.38,0.63,0.61 and 1.27,respectively.The AUC of LSM were 0.817 for ≥S2,0.891 for ≥S3 and 0.913 for ≥S4.And the AUC of APRI were 0.717 for ≥S2,0.711 for ≥S3 and 0.746 for ≥S4.The cut-offs of LSM values were 6.8 kPa for ≥S2,8.7 kPa for ≥S3,and 10.9 kPa for ≥S4.Conclusion LSM can accurately assess the degree of liver fibrosis in CHB patients with ALT ≤5 × ULN,which is superior to APRI in clinical utility.