title: [Serum laminin in chronic alcoholic liver disease: its value in the estimation of the degree of fibrosis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the clinical and prognostic value of serum laminin in chronic alcoholic liver disease and to discern whether laminin, alone or in combination with serum N-terminal type III collagen propeptide, and/or biochemical parameters, is useful in estimating the histomorphometrically determined amount of fibrosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective.
  
  
  METHODS
  121 (80 of them cirrhotics), 107 followed up for a variable periods ranging from 1 to 1440 days.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum laminin was higher in cirrhotic patients belonging to Child's C group and, in cirrhotic patients, it significantly correlated with Pugh's score (r = 0.32, p < 0.01), prothrombin activity (r = 0.23, p < 0.05), serum albumin (r = -0.35, p < 0.001) and bilirubin (r = 0.30, p < 0.01), and also with the degree of fibrosis (r = 0.49, p < 0.001). Serum laminin over 3.5 U/ml were associated to higher mortality rates in the total population (Log rank test = 4.9, p = 0.022), but not in cirrhotics. Stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that laminin is useless in the estimation of liver fibrosis in cirrhotics, although in non-cirrhotic alcoholics, serum laminin together with alkaline phosphatase and GGT roughly estimates the amount of liver fibrosis (r = 0.72, p < 0.001, standard error = 7.29).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Laminin is not useful in estimating the total amount of fibrosis neither in prognostic assessment of cirrhotics. However, serum laminin-values over 3.5 U/ml were associated with higher mortality rates in patients with chronic alcoholic liver disease, and serum laminin together with alkaline phosphatase and GGT correlated with the amount of fibrosis in the non-cirrhotic subgroup.
authors.affiliation: Departmento de Medicina Intema. Hospital Universitario de Canarias. La Laguna (Tenerife).
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: González Reimers
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Santolaria Fernández
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rodríguez Rodríguez
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rodríguez Moreno
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Milena Abril
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martínez-Riera
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: García-Castro
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000097:blood; D001663:Bilirubin / Q000097:blood; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004796:Clinical Enzyme Tests; D003094:Collagen / Q000097:blood; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007797:Laminin / Q000097:blood*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis; D008108:Liver Diseases, Alcoholic / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011516:Prothrombin / Q000032:analysis; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000032:analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D007797:Laminin; D012709:Serum Albumin; D011516:Prothrombin; D003094:Collagen; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase; D001663:Bilirubin