title: [Clinical significance of serum fibrosis markers in diagnosis of infantile hepatitis syndrome].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the correlation between four serum fibrosis markers and liver function in patients with infantile hepatitis syndrome (IHS), and to explore the clinical significance of these markers in the diagnosis of IHS and the assessment of disease severity.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective study was performed on 60 patients with IHS who were divided into hepatic fibrosis and normal groups based on ultrasound diagnosis. Levels of four liver fibrosis markers, i.e., hyaluronic acid (HA), type III procollagen (PC-III), type IV collagen (IV.C), and laminin (LN), were compared between the two groups, and the correlation between these markers and liver function was analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Levels of liver function markers (alanine aminotransferase (ALT), glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), total bilirubin (TBil), direct bilirubin (DBil), indirect bilirubin (IBil), and total bile acid (TBA)) in the hepatic fibrosis group were significantly higher than those in the normal group (P&lt;0.05). Levels of HA and IV.C in the hepatic fibrosis group were significantly higher compared with those in the normal group (P&lt;0.05). Furthermore, HA, IV.C, and PC-III levels were positively correlated with those of ALT, TBil, GGT, DBil, IBil, and TBA (r=0.25-0.49), and the strongest correlation existed between HA/IV.C and ALT/jaundice markers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Assay measuring serum fibrosis markers (HA, IV.C, and PC-III) in combination with liver function tests and ultrasound examination has an important clinical value in the early diagnosis of IHS and evaluation of disease severity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, the sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510000, China. dengwl@yeah.net.
authors.forename: Wen-Lin
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.forename: Ling-Ling
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xiao-Bing
authors.initials: XB
authors.lastname: Zou
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D024061:Collagen Type III / Q000097:blood; D024141:Collagen Type IV / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006505:Hepatitis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid / Q000097:blood; D007223:Infant; D007797:Laminin / Q000097:blood; D008099:Liver / Q000503:physiopathology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013577:Syndrome
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D024061:Collagen Type III; D024141:Collagen Type IV; D007797:Laminin; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid