Arq Gastroenterol. 2024 Oct 21;61:e24047. doi: 10.1590/S0004-2803.24612024-047. eCollection 2024.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: •Due to the invasive nature of the liver biopsy, there is a growing interest in the use of non-invasive markers of liver fibrosis.
BACKGROUND: •There is a significant and positive correlation between APRI.
BACKGROUND: FIB-4 and platelet count and liver stiffness measurement evaluated by transient elastography in pediatric autoimmune hepatitis.
BACKGROUND: There is limited evidence focusing on the use of non-invasive markers to assess liver fibrosis in pediatric chronic liver diseases.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to evaluate the correlation between liver stiffness measurement (LSM) using transient liver elastography (TLE) and serum non-invasive markers in pediatric autoimmune hepatitis (AIH).
METHODS: Cross-sectional study between May 2016 and February 2020. Twenty-eight children with AIH (age range between 3 and 20 years old) who had undergone TLE and had routine serum tests were enrolled. Patients were divided into 2 groups: (1) Liver fibrosis degree ≥F2 (TLE ≥6.45 kPa) and (2) <F2 (TLE <6.45 kPa). The groups were compared using Fisher’s exact test for categorical variables and the Mann-Whitney test for quantitative variables. The correlation between TLE, APRI, FIB-4 and platelet count was assessed using the Spearman coefficient (Rs).
RESULTS: Twenty-eight AIH pediatric patients were enrolled, 21 were female and 22 had AIH type 1. Following the cut-off of 6.45 kPa in TLE, 20 patients (71%) were included in group 1, and 8 in group 2. A statistically significant difference was found between the two groups on APRI and FIB-4 results (P=0.0306 and P=0.0055, respectively). There was a significant correlation between TLE with APRI and FIB-4 (Rs=0.67 and 0.78, respectively; P<0.01) as well as with platelet count (Rs=-0.68; P<0.01).
CONCLUSION: APRI, FIB-4 and Platelet Count showed a good and positive correlation with transient liver elastography in pediatric patients with AIH.
PMID:39442125 | DOI:10.1590/S0004-2803.24612024-047
