Aspartate Aminotransferase to Platelet Ratio Index (APRI) as a Predictor of Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) Development in Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

INTRODUCTION: Despite ongoing findings on the relationship between liver fibrosis in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and metabolic syndrome (MetS), this association in diabetic patients remains unclear. Early diagnosis of liver fibrosis is important due to the easily available diagnostic tools, such as noninvasive indices that combine clinical and laboratory variables, and the possibility of preventing its complications in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients with MetS. OBJECTIVE: This study examines the potential predictive values of non-invasive liver fibrosis indices for MetS in T2DM patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Over the course of a two-year prospective, observational, clinical study, 80 individuals with T2DM randomly selected from the Diabetes Counseling Centers of the Public Institution Health Center of Sarajevo Canton were divided into two groups: T2DM-MetS and T2DM-non-MetS, based on the development of MetS. The study included individuals with T2DM aged 30 to 60 who were clinically diagnosed without MetS, voluntarily agreed to participate, and provided complete data in the collection forms. Serum samples from the patients were assessed for levels of liver enzymes, platelet counts, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, fasting glucose, and triglycerides. Various equations were utilized to calculate liver fibrosis indices, including the Aspartate Aminotransferase to Platelet Ratio Index (APRI), Aspartate Aminotransferase to Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase to Platelet Ratio (AGPR), Aspartate Aminotransferase to Alanine Aminotransferase Ratio to Platelet Ratio Index (AARPRI), Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) Index, Forns Index, and Gamma-Glutamyl Transpeptidase to Platelet Ratio (GPR). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was utilized to determine the usefulness of noninvasive liver fibrosis indices for diagnosing MetS in individuals with T2DM. Logistic regression analysis was used to predict the onset of MetS in T2DM patients. RESULTS: Significant differences in the values of APRI (p<0.001), AGPR (p<0.05), AARPRI (p<0.001), and the FIB-4 index (p=0.001) were observed in T2DM-MetS individuals compared to T2DM-non-MetS. According to ROC analysis, the area under the curve (AUC) was found to be highest for APRI (0.84), followed by FIB-4 (0.783) and AARPRI (0.747). Logistic regression analysis identified APRI as an independent positive predictor of MetS (OR 18.179, 95% CI 6.035-24.58, p=0.015). CONCLUSION: This research highlights the effectiveness of the APRI index as a reliable predictor of MetS development in individuals with T2DM.

Assessing the Utility of the Aspartate Aminotransferase to Platelet Ratio Index (APRI) as a Noninvasive Indicator for Liver Cirrhosis.

Background Of liver-related disorders, cirrhosis is currently the leading cause of death and has become a significant global public health concern. Aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index (APRI), a newer prognostic modality, is a very effective noninvasive diagnostic for identifying advanced liver fibrosis. Methods A prospective observational study was conducted among individuals with liver disease, 100 cases and 100 controls for two years. All the sociodemographic details, clinical features of the patients, and clinical findings such as prothrombin time (PT), liver function tests, kidney function tests, and total blood count were recorded using a pretested semi-structured questionnaire. Results According to our survey results, 48% of the participants were between the ages of 40 and 60. Regarding aPTT (activated partial thromboplastin time) and liver function test characteristics (serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase(SGOT), serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT)), we showed a substantial difference between the patients and controls. Regarding the APRI distribution, we also found a statistically significant variation between the research groups. When we compared the validity of APRI scores in diagnosing cirrhosis, we discovered that the ideal cutoff value of APRI was determined to be 3.99, with sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of 33%, 86%, 70%, and 56%, respectively. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for APRI in detecting cirrhosis was also 0.693. Conclusion Thus, our study results conclude that APRI is a crucial noninvasive prognostic tool that can be utilized to prognostize liver cirrhosis.

Assessment of hepatic fibrosis with non-invasive indices in subjects with diabetes before and after liver transplantation.

Introduction: One of the most common complications of cirrhosis is diabetes, which prevalence is strictly related to severity of hepatopathy. Actually, there are no data on the persistence of post-transplant glucose abnormalities and on a potential impact of diabetes on development of fibrosis in the transplanted liver. To this aim, we evaluated liver fibrosis in cirrhotic subjects before and after being transplanted. Methods: The study included 111 individuals who had liver transplantation. The assessment was performed before and two years after surgery to investigate a potential impact of the persistence of diabetes on developing de novo fibrosis in the transplanted liver. The degree of fibrosis was assessed using the Fibrosis Index Based on 4 Factors (FIB-4) and the Aspartate to Platelet Ratio Index (APRI). Results: At pre-transplant evaluation, 63 out of 111 (56.8%) subjects were diabetic. Diabetic subjects had higher FIB-4 (Geometric mean, 95% confidence interval: 9.74, 8.32-11.41 vs 5.93, 4.71-7.46, P<0.001) and APRI (2.04, 1.69-2.47 vs 1.18, 0.90-1.55, P<0.001) compared to non-diabetic subjects. Two years after transplantation, 39 out of 111 (35.1%) subjects remained with diabetes and continued to show significantly higher FIB-4 (3.14, 2.57-3.82 vs 1.87, 1.55-2.27, P<0.001) and APRI (0.52, 0.39-0.69 vs 0.26, 0.21-0.32, P<0.001) compared to subjects without diabetes. Discussion: Thus, persistence of diabetes after surgery is a possible risk factor for an evolution to fibrosis in the transplanted liver, potentially leading to worsened long-term outcomes in this population.

APRI score is not predictive of post-surgical outcomes in cholangiocarcinoma patients.

Background: Cholangiocarcinoma is an epithelial malignancy of the intrahepatic or extrahepatic biliary tree, primarily driven by chronic inflammation and fibrosis. Fibrosis has been shown to correlate with malignancy, and the aminotransferase-platelet ratio index (APRI) score, a marker for hepatic fibrosis, has proved useful in prognosticating hepatocellular carcinoma. This study aimed to assess the utility of APRI score in predicting post-surgical outcomes in cholangiocarcinoma patients. Methods: Clinical data from a total of 152 cholangiocarcinoma patients who underwent surgical resection at the Mayo Clinic were collected. The data were subsequently analyzed to determine if there was a relationship between APRI score and the demographic, laboratory, pathologic and outcome data, including overall survival. To determine the relationship between quantitative and qualitative data and the APRI score, a P-value <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: No relationship between APRI score and demographic factors was identified. There were correlations between APRI score and alanine transaminase, albumin and bilirubin, but the remaining laboratory parameters showed no correlation. APRI score did not prove to be useful as a prognostic tool, as it did not correlate with tumor pathology features (tumor grade t-test P=0.86, N stage ANOVA P=0.94, vascular invasion t-test P=0.59, and perineural invasion t-test P=0.14), or with post-surgical recurrence (t-test P=0.22) and mortality (t-test P=0.39). Conclusion: APRI score is not a prognostic tool for post-surgical outcomes in patients with cholangiocarcinoma.

Could a reduced hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, and platelet (HALP) score predict autoimmune hepatitis and degree of liver fibrosis?

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: Autoimmune hepatitis is a rare inflammatory disease of the liver that is characterized by elevated liver enzymes. The hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, and platelet score, which is derived from hemoglobin, serum albumin, circulating lymphocyte count, and platelet count, is also associated with inflammatory conditions. The aim was to examine the hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, and platelet score of patients with autoimmune hepatitis and to compare it to that of healthy individuals in this retrospective analysis. METHODS: Subjects diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis were enrolled in the study, and healthy individuals were enrolled as controls. Moreover, autoimmune hepatitis subjects were grouped into mild or moderate/advanced fibrosis. Furthermore, aspartate to platelet ratio index, Fibrosis-4, and hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, and platelet scores of the autoimmune hepatitis patients and controls were compared. In addition, the hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, and platelet score of the autoimmune hepatitis patients with mild fibrosis is compared to that of those with moderate/advanced fibrosis. RESULTS: The mean hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, and platelet score of the autoimmune hepatitis patients was 44.2±14.5 while this value was 76.8±15.5 in control subjects. The hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, and platelet score was significantly reduced in autoimmune hepatitis patients than healthy controls (p<0.001). The hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, and platelet score was significantly and negatively correlated with C-reactive protein, aspartate, alanine transaminase, gamma glutamyl transferase, aspartate to platelet ratio index, and Fibrosis-4 values. A hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, and platelet score that was lower than 52.3 had 83% sensitivity and 73% specificity in predicting autoimmune hepatitis. The sensitivity and specificity of the hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, and platelet score were higher than the Fibrosis-4 score in predicting moderate/advanced fibrosis in autoimmune hepatitis. CONCLUSION: We suggest that the hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, and platelet score be used as an additional noninvasive diagnostic tool for autoimmune hepatitis and to predict moderate/advanced liver fibrosis in patients with autoimmune hepatitis.

Asociación de fibrosis hepática mediante elastografía por shear wave 2D y score APRI

Introducción: Las hepatopatías son un problema prevalente a nivel mundial. La biopsia hepática ha sido hasta la fecha el gold standard para valorar el grado de fibrosis, sin embargo, con el advenimiento de nuevos métodos no invasivos, costo-efectivos para el sistema sanitario, cada vez recurrimos menos a esta. En nuestro medio se introdujo recientemente la elastografía por onda cizallamiento con imagen biplanar, lo que implica una curva de aprendizaje por parte de los técnicos. Objetivo: Valorar la asociación de los grados de fibrosis hepática determinado por la elastografía por onda de cizallamiento con imagen biplanar (2D-SWE) y el score APRI en pacientes portadores de enfermedad hepática asistidos en el servicio de hepatología del Hospital Pasteur.Médica 2. Metodología: Se incluyeron los pacientes con enfermedad hepática de cualquier etiología, asistidos entre el 01/10/21 al 31/08/22, mayores de 15 años, de ambos sexos y que han sido valorados con elastografía por onda de cizallamiento con imagen biplanar (2D-SWE) y analítica sanguínea realizado por el equipo médico del servicio mencionado en los últimos 6 meses. Resultados: Se incluyeron 158 pacientes. Se encontró mayor prevalencia de enfermedad hepática en mujeres, con predominio de la etiología de enfermedad por hígado graso no alcohólico (EHGNA) e infección por virus de hepatitis C (VHC). Se evidenció asociación positiva entre la elastografía (2D-SWE) y el score APRI para el diagnóstico o exclusión de enfermedad hepática avanzada, sin diferencia estadísticamente significativa entre los dos médicos hepatólogos. Conclusiones: Existe asociación entre la elastografía por SWE y el score APRI para el diagnóstico de enfermedad hepática avanzada en la población general y por etiología.

Introduction: Liver diseases are a prevalent problem worldwide. To date, liver biopsy has been the gold standard for assessing the degree of fibrosis; however, with the advent of new non-invasive, cost-effective methods for the healthcare system, we are resorting to it less and less. Shear wave elastography with biplanar imaging was recently introduced in our setting, which implies a learning curve for technicians. Objective: To assess the association of the degrees of liver fibrosis determined by shear wave elastography with biplanar imaging (2D-SWE) and the APRI score in patients with liver disease treated in the hepatology service of the Pasteur Hospital. Methodology: Patients with liver disease of any etiology, attended between 01/10/21 and 08/31/22, over 15 years of age, of both sexes and who have been evaluated with shear wave elastography with biplanar image were included. (2D-SWE) and blood analysis performed by the medical team of the aforementioned service in the last 6 months. Results: 158 patients were included. A higher prevalence of liver disease was found in women, with a predominance of the etiology of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. A positive association was evident between elastography (2D-SWE) and the APRI score for the diagnosis or exclusion of advanced liver disease, with no statistically significant difference between the two hepatologists. Conclusions: There is an association between SWE elastography and the APRI score for the diagnosis of advanced liver disease in the general population and by etiology.

Introdução: As doenças hepáticas são um problema prevalente em todo o mundo. Até o momento, a biópsia hepática tem sido o padrão ouro para avaliar o grau de fibrose, porém, com o advento de novos métodos não invasivos e de baixo custo para o sistema de saúde, recorremos cada vez menos a ela. A elastografia por onda de cisalhamento com imagem biplanar foi introduzida recentemente em nosso meio, o que implica uma curva de aprendizado para os técnicos. Objetivo: Avaliar a associação dos graus de fibrose hepática determinados pela elastografia por ondas de cisalhamento com imagem biplanar (2D-SWE) e o escore APRI em pacientes com hepatopatia atendidos no serviço de hepatologia do Hospital Pasteur. Metodologia: Foram incluídos pacientes portadores de doença hepática de qualquer etiologia, atendidos entre 10/01/21 e 31/08/22, maiores de 15 anos, de ambos os sexos e que foram avaliados com elastografia por onda de cisalhamento com imagem biplanar. ( 2D-SWE) e análises sanguíneas realizadas pela equipa médica do referido serviço nos últimos 6 meses. Resultados: foram incluídos 158 pacientes. Foi encontrada maior prevalência de doença hepática em mulheres, com predomínio da etiologia da doença hepática gordurosa não alcoólica (DHGNA) e da infecção pelo vírus da hepatite C (HCV). Foi evidente uma associação positiva entre a elastografia (2D-SWE) e o escore APRI para o diagnóstico ou exclusão de doença hepática avançada, sem diferença estatisticamente significativa entre os dois hepatologistas. Conclusões: Existe associação entre a elastografia SWE e o escore APRI para o diagnóstico de doença hepática avançada na população geral e por etiologia.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TSH LEVELS, THYROID AUTOANTIBODIES AND ATHEROGENIC INDEX OF PLASMA, AST TO PLATELET RATIO INDEX SCORE, AND FIBROSIS 4 INDEX IN PATIENTS WITH HYPOTHYROIDISM.

Context: Thyroid hormones have metabolic effects such as relationship between hypothyroidism and atherosclerosis. Objective: Evaluate the effects of hypothyroidism on Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and atherosclerosis by using AIP, APRI score, FIB-4 indices. Material and Methods: 1370 patients with hypothyroidism who applied to the Endocrinology and Metabolism outpatient clinic between 01.01.2017-30.12.2021 were included the study. Pregnants, patients with a history of thyroid carcinoma, cardiovascular and liver diseases were excluded. TSH, fT4, Anti TPO, Anti TG, thrombocyte, ALT, AST, HDL, Triglyceride values of the cases were analyzed and atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), AST to Platelet Ratio Index (APRI) and Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) indices were calculated. Results: 1170 (85.4%) of the cases were female.The age of those who had high risk of AIP was found to be higher than those with low and moderate risk (p=0.001; p=0.003; p<0.01). The ages of those who had low-risk FIB-4 Index were found to be lower than those with moderate risk and high risk (p=0.001; p=0.001; p<0.01). A positive relationship was detected between APRI and FIB-4 (r=0.681; p=0.001; p<0.01).AIP increased as TSH increased in hypothyroid patients. No significant correlations were detected between TSH, APRI, and the FIB-4 Index. No significant differences were detected between AIP, APRI, FIB-4, and thyroid autoantibodies. Conclusion: In hypothyroid patients, the AIP index increased with age and the increase in TSH. A strong relationship was detected between AIP and TSH . For this reason, we think that keeping TSH within the normal range with regular follow-ups and treatment in patients with hypothyroidism will reduce the risk of atherosclerosis.

Value of aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index in judging the indication for antiviral therapy in patients with chronic HBV infection and alanine aminotransferase less than two times of upper limit of normal / 临床肝胆病杂志

Objective To investigate the value of aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) in judging the indication for antiviral therapy [liver inflammation grade (G) ≥2 or fibrosis stage (S) ≥2] in patients with chronic HBV infection and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ＜ 2 × upper limit of normal (ULN).Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 207 patients with chronic HBV infection and ALT ＜ 2 × ULN who were admitted to Nanyang Central Hospital from January 2015 to June 2017,and according to liver inflammation grade and fibrosis stage,these patients were divided into G ＜ 2 + S ＜ 2 group with 87 patients and G ≥2 or S ≥2 group with 120 patients.The results of liver biopsy and laboratory examination were recorded,and APRI was calculated.The Spearman correlation analysis was performed to investigate the correlation of APRI with liver inflammation grade and fibrosis stage.The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to investigate the value of ALT,aspartate aminotransferase (AST),platelet count (PLT),and APRI in judging the indication for antiviral therapy in patients with ALT ＜ 2 × ULN.The t-test or the Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups,and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups.Results APRI was positively correlated with liver inflammation grade and fibrosis stage (r =0.661 and 0.597,P ＜0.001).Among ALT,AST,PLT,and APRI,APRI had the highest value in judging the indication for antiviral therapy,with AUCs of 0.913 in the G≥2 or S≥2 group,0.882 in the G≥2 group,and 0.881 in the S≥2 group.APRI had an AUC of 0.913 (95％ confidence interval:0.871-0.954) in predicting the indication in the G ≥ 2 or S ≥2 group at the optimal cut-off value of 0.5324;when APRI was ≥0.5324,the patients had marked liver histological changes,i.e.,G≥2 or S≥2,which met the indication for antiviral therapy.APRI had a sensitivity of 87.50％,a specificity of 89.66％,a positive predictive value of 92.11％,and a negative predictive value of 83.87％.Conclusion For patients with chronic HBV infection and ALT ＜ 2 × ULN,APRI has a good value in evaluating liver pathological changes and judging the timing of antiviral therapy and can reduce the frequency of invasive assessment of histological changes via liver biopsy.

Application of APRI score and FIB-4 index in prognostic evaluation of patients with chronic liver failure / 中华临床感染病杂志

Objective To assess the prognostic value of APRI score and FIB-4 index for patients with chronic liver failure.Methods Clinical data of 426 patients with chronic liver failure admitted in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from March 2005 to September 2014 were retrospectively analyzed.The MELD score,APRI score and FIB-4 index were calculated.Patients were divided into survival group and fatal group according to survival situation within 3 month after admission.Logistic regression was used to analyze the differences in all the indexes between the survival group and fatal group.Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to assess the value of the above indexes in predicting the 3-month survival.Results Among 426 patients 244 died within three months after admission.Univariate analysis and multivariate Logistic regression showed that MELD score and FIB-4 index were statistically significant between the survival and fatal groups (Z =-4.783 and-4.104,x2 =26.31 and 11.34,both P ＜ 0.01).The area under the ROC curve of MELD score,APRI score and FIB-4 index was 0.635,0.511 and 0.616 for predicting 3-month survival,respectively.Compared with the APRI score,MELD score and FIB4 index were statistically different (x2 =13.669 and 6.341,P ＜ 0.05 or P ＜ 0.01).When MELD score ＞ 28,FIB-4 index ＞ 11.27,the patient has a high fatality rate and poor prognosis within three months.Conclusion FIB-4 index can be used to evaluate the short-term prognosis of patients with chronic liver failure,and the higher score of FIB-4 index predicts the worse prognosis.

Preditores laboratoriais de atividade inflamatória e de fibrose hepática em pacientes com infecção pelo vírus da hepatite C / Laboratorial tests predictive of inflamatory activity and liver fibrosis in patients with hepatitis C virus infection

Objetivos: Avaliar a relação entre parâmetros laboratoriais e o grau de fibrose e atividade inflamatória na biópsia hepática. Metodologia: Estudo transversal de análise de dados laboratoriais e histopatológicos obtidos de forma consecutiva em 210 pacientes com infecção por VHC que foram submetidos à biópsia hepática às cegas. Foram avaliados alanina e aspartato-aminotransferase (ALT e AST), plaquetas, albumina, tempo de protrombina (TP) e o índice APRI (AST/plaquetas). O exame histopatológico foi classificado segundo o escore METAVIR. Para análise estatística, foi adotado um nível de significância de 5%. Resultados: A população foi constituída por 109 (51,9%) homens e 101 mulheres. A média de idade foi de 48,47 ± 1,31 anos. Quanto ao TP, albumina e AST isoladamente, não houve correlação com atividade ou fibrose. Houve correlação negativa entre plaquetas e o grau de fibrose. Utilizando os dados combinados através de índices APRI e ALT/plaquetas, as correlações são mais consistentes e significativas. Ambos os índices apresentaram boa correlação com o grau de fibrose. Conclusões: Dentre os parâmetros bioquímicos avaliados no presente estudo, o índice APRI e a relação ALT/plaquetas apresentaram melhor correlação com o grau de fibrose. Entretanto, não houve marcador que mostrasse uma relação sensibilidade/especificidade adequada para não justificar a realização de biópsia hepática (AU)

Objective: To correlate biochemical parameters with liver biopsy findings regarding fibrosis grade and inflammatory activity. Methods: A cross sectional study was designed to access the association of liver tests and histopathological data of 210 patients with hepatitis C virus. Platelets count, alanine and aspartate-aminotransferases (ALT and AST), albumin, the protrombin time (PT) and the APRI score (AST/platelets) were correlated with histopathological findings classified by METAVIR score. A significance level of 5% was used to test the association between variables. Results: There were 109 (51.9%) men and 101 women. The mean age was 48.47 +/- 1.31 years. PT, albumin and AST showed no correlation with inflammatory activity or fibrosis grade. There was a negative correlation between platelets and the fibrosis grade. This correlation was consistent with APRI score and ALT/platelets index. Both scores presented a good correlation with the fibrosis grade. Conclusions: APRI and ALT/platelets score presented significant correlation with the fibrosis grade. However, none of those tests showed sensitivity and specificity enough to replace liver biopsy (AU)