ISSN: 1300-0292
İndekslendiği Dizinler: SCIENCE CITATION INDEX EXPANDED
CINAHL, Index Copernicus,
Chemical Abstracts (CA),
Excerpta Medica / EMBASE
Dil: Türkçe, İngilizce
İçerik: Orijinal Araştırma, Derleme, Editöre Mektup, Olgu Sunumu, Tıp Eğitimi, Tıbbi Kitap İncelemeleri
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ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLES |
Serum Hyaluronic Acid Levels For The Evaluation Of Liver Fibrosis
Dr. Mehmet ARHAN,a Dr. Aydın Şeref KÖKSAL,a Dr. Osman YÜK-SEL,a Dr. Meral AKDOĞANa
bGastroenteroloji Bölümü, Türkiye Yüksek İhtisas Hastanesi, ANKARA
Objective: Currently histopathologic examination of percutaneous biopsy specimens is considered the “gold standard” method for the evaluation of liver fibrosis. In this study, we aimed to investigate the value of hyaluronic acid levels, a non-invasive biochemical marker, for the evaluation of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis.
Material and Methods: The study comprised 43 patients (19 with chronic hepatitis B and 24 with chronic hepatitis C) who had undergone liver biopsy before the initiation of antiviral treatment between December 2001 and September 2003. Patients were grouped according to the levels of histopathologic fibrosis and hepatic activity index. Serum hyaluronic acid, ALT, AST, ALP, GGT, and thrombocyte levels were compared between the groups. Correlation between the degree of fibrosis, hyaluronic acid, ALT, AST levels, age, and thrombocyte counts were investigated.
Results: Serum hyaluronic acid levels were significantly higher in patients with severe fibrosis (stage 3, 4) compared to those with mild or no fibrosis (stage 1, 2). There was no significant difference between the groups with respect to the degree of inflammation. Although hyaluronic acid levels were directly proportional to the level of fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis due to Hepatitis B, the difference was only significant in patients with chronic hepatitis due to Hepatitis C. There was no significant correlation between the levels of fibrosis, ALT, AST, GGT, total bilirubin, and thrombocyte counts of the patients. There was a negative correlation between the levels of hyaluronic acid and thrombocyte counts and positive correlation between the levels of hyaluronic acid and AST.
Conclusion: Serum hyaluronic acid seems to be a useful marker in the determination of the level of liver fibrosis when used in combination with other parameters.Keywords: Hyaluronic acid; fibrosis; liverTurkiye Klinikleri J Med Sci 2007, 27:21-26
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