title: The predictive value of noninvasive serum markers of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aims to show the predictive value of noninvasive serum markers on the hepatic fibrosis level.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross sectional study involves 120 patients with chronic hepatitis C. The noninvasive markers used were as follows: age-platelet index (AP index), cirrhosis discriminant score (CDS), aspartate aminotransferase (AST)-alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ratio (AAR), fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index, AST-platelet ratio index (APRI), Goteborg University Cirrhosis Index (GUCI), FibroQ, King's score, platelet count. Concurrent liver biopsies were evaluated using the modified Ishak and Knodell scoring systems. In accordance with the Knodell scores, F3-F4 scores were defined as "severe fibrosis," and the modified Ishak scores stage of ≥3 (F3-F6) were defined as "clinically significant fibrosis." Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were carried out to compare the noninvasive markers with hepatic fibrosis level.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean age of the patients was 51.7±11.6. A total of 10 patients (8.3%) with Knodell scores and 24 patients (20%) with modified Ishak scores were evaluated to have ≥F3 hepatic fibrosis. ROC analyses with the Knodell and modified Ishak scores were as follows: AP index=0.61-0.57, CDS=0.66-0.55, AAR=0.60-0.49, FIB-4=0.70-0.68, APRI=0.67-0.72, GUCI=0.66-0.72, FibroQ=0.64-0.54, King's score=0.68-0.54, platelet count=0.61-0.55.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found that APRI, FIB-4, King's score, and GUCI can be used to determination patients with mild fibrosis with a high negative predictive value and in the differentiation of severe/significant fibrosis from mild to moderate fibrosis.
authors: Department of Gastroenterology, Ankara Yüksek İhtisas Research and Training Hospital, Ankara, Turkey. halesumer@yahoo.com.
authors: Hale
authors: H
authors: Gökcan
authors: Ufuk Barış
authors: UB
authors: Kuzu
authors: Erkin
authors: E
authors: Öztaş
authors: Fatih
authors: F
authors: Saygılı
authors: Derya
authors: D
authors: Öztuna
authors: Nuretdin
authors: N
authors: Suna
authors: İlyas
authors: İ
authors: Tenlik
authors: Meral
authors: M
authors: Akdoğan
authors: Sabite
authors: S
authors: Kaçar
authors: Zeki Mesut Yalın
authors: ZM
authors: Kılıç
authors: Ertuğrul
authors: E
authors: Kayaçetin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D001706:Biopsy; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology; D008111:Liver Function Tests / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010976:Platelet Count; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012372:ROC Curve; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase