title: Routine blood tests to predict liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To verify the usefulness of FibroQ for predicting fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C, compared with other noninvasive tests.
  
  
  METHODS
  This retrospective cohort study included 237 consecutive patients with chronic hepatitis C who had undergone percutaneous liver biopsy before treatment. FibroQ, aspartate aminotransferase (AST)/alanine aminotransferase ratio (AAR), AST to platelet ratio index, cirrhosis discriminant score, age-platelet index (API), Pohl score, FIB-4 index, and Lok's model were calculated and compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  FibroQ, FIB-4, AAR, API and Lok's model results increased significantly as fibrosis advanced (analysis of variance test: P < 0.001). FibroQ trended to be superior in predicting significant fibrosis score in chronic hepatitis C compared with other noninvasive tests.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  FibroQ is a simple and useful test for predicting significant fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi 613, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yung-Yu
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.forename: Shui-Yi
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Tung
authors.forename: Kamfai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Cheng-Shyong
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Kuo-Liang
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Chien-Heng
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Te-Sheng
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Yi-Hsiung
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006403:Hematologic Tests / Q000379:methods*; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012372:ROC Curve; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D055815:Young Adult