title: Validation of three noninvasive laboratory variables to predict significant fibrosis and cirrhosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C in Saudi Arabia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We tested the clinical utility of the platelet count, the aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase (AST/ALT) ratio, and the AST to platelet ratio index (APRI) score in predicting the presence or absence of advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C in Saudi Arabia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Liver biopsy procedures performed on chronic hepatitis C patients in our gastroenterology unit at King Khalid University Hospital were traced from records between the years 1998 to 2003. The hospital computer database was then accessed and detailed laboratory parameters obtained. By plotting receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC), three selected models (platelet count, AST/ALT ratio, and the APRI score was the one associated with the highest area under the curve (AUC)=0.812 (95% CI, 0.756-0.868) on the ROC curves, compared to the platelet count and AST/ALT ratio, which yielded an AUC of 0.783 (0.711-0.855) and 0.716 (0.642-0.789), respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The APRI score seemed to be the best predictive variable for the presence or absence of advanced fibrosis in Saudi hepatitis C patients.
authors.affiliation: Abdo College of Medicine, King Saud University P.O. Bob 2925(59) Riyadh 11461, Saudi Arabia. aabdo@ksu.edu.sa
authors.forename: Ayman A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Abdo
authors.forename: Khalid
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Al Swat
authors.forename: Nahla
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Azzam
authors.forename: Shaffi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.forename: Faleh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Al Faleh
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood*; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood*; D001706:Biopsy; D005260:Female; D005355:Fibrosis; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010976:Platelet Count; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012372:ROC Curve; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase