Background: The quest for noninvasive biomarkers for fibrosis continues, as liver biopsy is invasive. Thereby, this study aimed to correlate fibrosis score with Alpha fetoprotein (AFP) levels in patients with Hepatitis B virus (HBV).
Methodology: This was an observational prospective study, including 123 patients from Al-Hada Military Hospital, Taif, Saudi Arabia. Patients were enrolled from January 2017 to July 2019. Data were collected related to patients' demographics, diagnosis, HBV viral load, complete blood count, liver function tests, AFP levels, and alkaline phosphatase levels. Fibro scan was done at the beginning and on follow up. The correlation between AFP levels and severity of liver fibrosis was assessed by fibro scan and viral load levels.
Results: Of the total 123 participants included in this study with chronic hepatitis B, there was a significant difference in AFP levels and fibrosis score (p-value = 0.009). Additionally, there was a significant difference (p-value = 0.014) detected between median AFP being higher in patients with positive viral load as compared to the patients with negative viral load. It was also observed that there was a significant direct relationship (p-value = 0.016) between the level of AFP and stage detected on the fibro scan.
Conclusion: AFP could be a useful tool for the staging of liver fibrosis and evaluating response to the treatment. Further studies may confirm the co relation.
Key words: Alpha-fetoprotein, liver fibrosis, Hepatitis B virus, fibrosis score, viral load
|
