title: Liver fibrosis markers of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.
abstract: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the major causes of chronic liver injury. NAFLD includes a wide range of clinical conditions from simple steatosis to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), advanced fibrosis, and liver cirrhosis. The histological findings of NASH indicate hepatic steatosis and inflammation with characteristic hepatocyte injury (e.g., ballooning degeneration), as is observed in the patients with alcoholic liver disease. NASH is considered to be a potentially health-threatening disease that can progress to cirrhosis. A liver biopsy remains the most reliable diagnostic method to appropriately diagnose NASH, evaluate the severity of liver fibrosis, and determine the prognosis and optimal treatment. However, this invasive technique is associated with several limitations in routine use, and a number of biomarkers have been developed in order to predict the degree of liver fibrosis. In the present article, we review the current status of noninvasive biomarkers available to estimate liver fibrosis in the patients with NASH. We also discuss our recent findings on the use of the glycated albumin-to-glycated hemoglobin ratio, which is a new index that correlates to various chronic liver diseases, including NASH.
authors.affiliation: Hirayuki Enomoto, Shuhei Nishiguchi, Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Disease, Department of Internal Medicine, Hyogo College of Medicine, Hyogo 663-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Hirayuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Enomoto
authors.affiliation: Hirayuki Enomoto, Shuhei Nishiguchi, Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Disease, Department of Internal Medicine, Hyogo College of Medicine, Hyogo 663-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Yukihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bando
authors.affiliation: Hirayuki Enomoto, Shuhei Nishiguchi, Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Disease, Department of Internal Medicine, Hyogo College of Medicine, Hyogo 663-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Hideji
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.affiliation: Hirayuki Enomoto, Shuhei Nishiguchi, Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Disease, Department of Internal Medicine, Hyogo College of Medicine, Hyogo 663-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Shuhei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nishiguchi
authors.affiliation: Hirayuki Enomoto, Shuhei Nishiguchi, Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Disease, Department of Internal Medicine, Hyogo College of Medicine, Hyogo 663-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Masafumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koga
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001706:Biopsy; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers
keywords: Glycated albumin; Glycated hemoglobin; Liver fibrosis; Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis