title: Relationship between clinical and pathologic findings in patients with chronic liver diseases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the relationship between clinical findings of patients with chronic liver diseases and the pathologic grading and staging of liver tissues.
  
  
  METHODS
  The inflammatory activity and fibrosis of consecutive liver biopsies from 200 patients were determined according to the diagnosis criteria of chronic hepatitis in China established in 1995. A comparative analysis was carried out for 200 patients with chronic liver diseases by comparing their clinical manifestations, serum biochemical markers with the grading and staging of liver tissues.
  
  
  RESULTS
  It was revealed that age, index of clinical symptoms and physical signs were obviously relevant to the pathologic grading and staging of liver tissues (P<0.05). Blood platelet, red blood cells, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), N-terminal procollagen III (PIII NP) were apparently correlated with the degree of inflammation. PGA (prothrombin time, GGT, apoprotein A1) index, PGAA (PGA+delta2-macroglobulin) index, albumin and albumin/globulin were relevant to both inflammation and fibrosis. Hyaluronic acid (HA) was an accurate variable for the severity of hepatic inflammation and fibrosis. The combination of serum markers for fibrosis could increase the diagnostic accuracy. It was notable that viral replication markers were not relevant to the degree of inflammation and fibrosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a good correlation between clinical findings and the pathologic grading and staging of liver tissues, which may give aid to the noninvasive diagnosis of liver fibrosis.
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Institute of Digestive Disease, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Second Medical University, Shanghai 200001, China. lulungen@online.sh.cn
authors.forename: Lun-Gen
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Min-De
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Yi-Min
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.forename: Ji-Qiang
authors.initials: JQ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: De-Kai
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: Jing-Yuan
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: Ai-Ping
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Mo-Bin
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.forename: Cheng-Zhong
authors.initials: CZ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.forename: Xiong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Cheng-Wei
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Ji-Yao
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Shan-Ming
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Jin-Shui
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Xia-Qiu
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease; D003955:Diagnostic Tests, Routine; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000473:pathology; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000145:classification / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity