ALT持续正常及持续或间断升高的慢性乙型肝炎患者肝脏硬度值分析

目的目前ALT持续正常(PNALT)以及持续或间断升高(PIEALT)的慢性乙型肝炎(CHB)患者肝脏硬度值(LSM)的数据十分有限。本研究对该组患者LSM范围及其影响因素进行了探讨,以供临床应用参考。方法将在2012年9月-2013年3月于本院就诊的208例初治CHB患者纳入研究,均接受瞬时弹性扫描仪(FS)检查。PNALT组:在最近1 a随访至少3次,每次间隔2个月以上,ALT水平均正常,入组时ALT正常;PIEALT组进一步分为ALT轻度升高(过去1 a随访中ALT水平至少有1次升高但2×ULN)以及ALT明显升高(过去1 a随访中ALT水平至少有1次升高2×ULN),入组时ALT2×ULN。根据现有的研究结果,当ALT2×ULN时,用于诊断以及排除进展性肝纤维化的标准分别为LSM≥10.6 kPa和LSM7.4 kPa。计量资料分析采用t检验、方差分析和秩和检验,计数资料采用χ2检验,相关因素采用双变量相关分析及Logistic回归分析。结果受试人群平均LSM为(6.2±2.9)kPa。在PNALT患者中,LSM≥7.4 kPa占14.3%(18/126),LSM≥10.6 kPa占2.4%(3/126)。在总体PIEALT患者中,这个比例分别是35.4%(29/82)以及13.4%(11/82)。多元回归分析中,ALT1×ULN(OR=2.63,P=0.037)、男性(OR=5.29,P=0.012)是LSM≥7.4 kPa的独立影响因素;HBV DNA定量5 log10拷贝/ml是LSM≥10.6 kPa唯一的独立影响因素(OR=13.84,P=0.046)。结论在PIEALT和PNALT的CHB患者中,分别有35%及14%的患者不能排除进展性肝纤维化的可能;大约13%的PIEALT患者根据LSM结果可判断为进展性肝纤维化。对于ALT1×ULN、HBV DNA拷贝数的对数值大于5的男性CHB患者,建议对其进行密切随访。     

40例慢性乙型肝炎轻度患者肝组织病理学变化研究

目的探讨40例成人谷丙酶正常或轻度升高的慢性HBV感染者肝组织病理学的变化。方法常规进行肝穿刺组织学检查,对肝组织进行炎症分级及纤维化分期;采用化学发光法对该组患者进行血清HA、LN、PCⅢ、cⅣ水平的检测;应用全自动生化仪检测主要血生化指标。分析上述血清学指标水平与肝组织炎症分级及纤维化分期之间的关系。结果在40例慢性HBV感染者中,G1S0 3例,G1S1 9例,G1S2 1例,G1S3 3例,G1S4 4例,G2S1 10例,G2S2 3例,G2S4 4例,G3S4 2例,G4S4 1例;肝组织炎症分级和纤维化分期〈G2S：组血清ALT、ALB及CHE水平较≥G2S2 组有所增加,血清AST、TBIL水平较≥G2S2组有所减少,其中仅血清AST水平在两组间有显著性差异（P〈0．05）,血清ALT、TBIL、ALB、CHE水平在组间均无统计学差异（P〉0．05）。肝组织纤维化分期≥S2组血清HA、LN、PCⅢ、CIV水平较〈S2组均有所增加,其中血清HA、PCⅢ、CIV水平在组间有统计学差异（P〈0．05）,而血清LN水平在组间无显著性差异（P〉0．05）。结论对成人ALT正常或轻度升高的HBV感染者应及时行肝穿刺活检,以便作出正确的诊断和及时处理,防止病情向肝硬化、肝癌的进展。     

Comparison of liver biopsy and noninvasive techniques for liver fibrosis assessment in patients infected with HCV‐genotype 4 in Egypt

In Egypt, as elsewhere, liver biopsy (LB) remains the gold standard to assess liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) and is required to decide whether a treatment should be proposed. Many of its disadvantages have led to develop noninvasive methods to replace LB. These new methods should be evaluated in Egypt, where circulating virus genotype 4 (G4), increased body mass index and co‐infection with schistosomiasis may interfere with liver fibrosis assessment. Egyptian CHC‐infected patients with G4 underwent a LB, an elastometry measurement (Fibroscan^©), and serum markers (APRI, Fib4 and Fibrotest^©). Patients had to have a LB ≥15 mm length or ≥10 portal tracts with two pathologists blinded readings to be included in the analysis. Patients with hepatitis B virus co‐infection were excluded. Three hundred and twelve patients are reported. The performance of each technique for distinguishing F0F1 vs F2F3F4 was compared. The area under receiver operating characteristic curves was 0.70, 0.76, 0.71 and 0.75 for APRI, Fib‐4, Fibrotest© and Fibroscan©, respectively (no influence of schistosomiasis was noticed). An algorithm using the Fib4 for identifying patients with F2 stage or more reduced by nearly 90% the number of liver biopsies. Our results demonstrated that noninvasive techniques were feasible in Egypt, for CHC G4‐infected patients. Because of its validity and its easiness to perform, we believe that Fib4 may be used to assess the F2 threshold, which decides whether treatment should be proposed or delayed.     

100例丙氨酸氨基转移酶正常的慢乙肝病毒感染者的肝组织病理研究

目的探索100例丙氨酸氨基转移酶（ALT）正常的慢乙肝病毒感染者的肝组织病理改变影响的可能因素及ALT相应的正常界限。方法收集100份乙肝病毒携带者的血清和肝穿病理标本分别行生化、乙肝标记物、乙肝病毒DNA（HBVDNA）检测和常规HE染色,光镜下观察其病理变化并评分。结果26例肝脏组织学有显著改变,HBeAg状态、ALT水平这二种因素对慢乙肝病毒携带者肝组织病理有影响。结论目前ALT正常值上限应下调为宜;持续ALT正常的慢性HBV感染者,应将肝活检作为判断肝病活动性和是否抗病毒治疗的主要依据。     

Prospective comparison of transient elastography,point shear wave elastography,APRI and FIB‐4 for staging liver fibrosis in chronic viral hepatitis

Ultrasound‐based elastography and serum indexes have been individually validated as noninvasive methods for staging liver fibrosis in chronic viral hepatitis. We aimed to compare the accuracy of transient elastography (TE), shear wave elastography (SWE), aspartate aminotransferase to platelet index (APRI) and Fibrosis‐4 index (FIB‐4) with the METAVIR liver fibrosis staging in viral hepatitis patients. We enrolled 121 treatment‐naïve chronic hepatitis B and C monoinfected patients. All underwent liver biopsy had biochemistry tests and liver stiffness measurements by TE using M and XL probes followed by point SWE performed on the same day. The accuracy of each method for predicting different fibrosis stages was demonstrated as an area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curves. The AUROCs of TE using M and XL probes, SWE, APRI and FIB‐4 were 0.771, 0.761, 0.700, 0.698 and 0.697, respectively, for significant fibrosis; 0.974, 0.973, 0.929, 0.738 and 0.859, respectively, for advanced fibrosis; and 0.954, 0.949, 0.962, 0.765 and 0.962, respectively, for cirrhosis. TE using the M probe was comparable to the XL probe in detecting all fibrosis stages. TE was superior to SWE for assessing significant fibrosis and advanced fibrosis. For cirrhosis, the performances of TE, SWE and FIB‐4 were similar. APRI was least accurate in liver fibrosis staging. To conclude, for patients with viral hepatitis, TE using either M or XL probe is an effective noninvasive test for assessing liver fibrosis, particularly advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis, while SWE and FIB‐4 possess an excellent accuracy in predicting cirrhosis.     

Comparative evaluation of GPR versus APRI and FIB‐4 in predicting different levels of liver fibrosis of chronic hepatitis B

It is of great significance to develop and evaluate noninvasive indexes predicting the level of liver fibrosis. The aim of this study was to comparatively evaluate gamma‐glutamyl transpeptidase‐to‐platelet ratio (GPR) versus aspartate aminotransferase‐to‐platelet ratio index (APRI) and fibrosis index based on 4 factors (FIB‐4) in predicting different levels of liver fibrosis of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) within the framework of HBeAg‐positive and HBeAg‐negative patients. A total of 1157 HBeAg‐positive and 859 HBeAg‐negative CHB patients were enrolled, among whom the pathological stage ≥S2, ≥S3, ≥S4 were defined as significant fibrosis, extensive fibrosis and cirrhosis, respectively. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to evaluate the performance of GPR, APRI and FIB‐4 in predicting different levels of liver fibrosis. In HBeAg‐positive patients, the area under ROC curves (AUROCs) of GPR in predicting extensive fibrosis and cirrhosis were both significantly larger than those of APRI (P = .0001 and P < .0001). In HBeAg‐negative patients, the AUROCs of GPR in predicting significant fibrosis and cirrhosis were significantly larger than those of FIB‐4 (P = .0006 and P = .0041). The AUROC of GPR in predicting extensive fibrosis was significantly larger than that of APRI and FIB‐4 (P = .0320 and P = .0018). Using a cut‐off of GPR > 0.500 as standard, the sensitivities and specificities of GPR in predicting significant fibrosis in HBeAg‐positive patients were 59.6% and 81.2%, and for cirrhosis 80.9% and 63.8%, respectively; and those of HBeAg‐negative patients were 60.3% and 78.3%, 84.5% and 66.1%, respectively. Regardless of HBeAg‐positive or HBeAg‐negative status, GPR had the best performance in predicting different levels of liver fibrosis.     

Noninvasive estimation of fibrosis progression overtime using the FIB‐4 index in chronic hepatitis C

Summary. The FIB‐4 index is a simple formula to predict liver fibrosis based on the standard biochemical values (AST, ALT and platelet count) and age. We here investigated the utility of the index for noninvasive prediction of progression in liver fibrosis. The time‐course alteration in the liver fibrosis stage between paired liver biopsies and the FIB‐4 index was examined in 314 patients with chronic hepatitis C. The average interval between liver biopsies was 4.9 years. The cases that showed a time‐course improvement in the fibrosis stage exhibited a decrease in the FIB‐4 index, and those that showed deterioration in the fibrosis stage exhibited an increase in the FIB‐4 index with a significant correlation (P < 0.001). Increase in the ΔFIB‐4 index per year was an independent predictive factor for the progression in liver fibrosis with an odds ratio of 3.90 (P = 0.03). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the ΔFIB‐4 index/year for the prediction of advancement to cirrhosis was 0.910. Using a cut‐off value of the ΔFIB‐4 index/year <0.4 or ≥0.4, the cumulative incidence of fibrosis progression to cirrhosis at 5 and 10 years was 34% and 59%, respectively in patients with the ΔFIB‐4 index/year ≥0.4, whereas it was 0% and 3% in those with the ΔFIB‐4 index/year <0.4 (P < 0.001). In conclusion, measurement of the time‐course changes in the FIB‐4 index is useful for the noninvasive and real‐time estimation of the progression in liver fibrosis.     

Correlation of transient elastography with APRI and FIB‐4 in a cohort of patients with congenital bleeding disorders and HCV or HIV/HCV coinfection

Summary. Patients with inherited bleeding disorders frequently suffer from chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) mono‐ or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/HCV coinfection. Non‐invasive markers for liver fibrosis are warranted for these patients. We tested a large cohort of haemophilic patients with HCV mono‐ or HIV/HCV coinfection for correlation of transient elastography (TE) with two simple surrogate markers of liver fibrosis and for differences in fibrosis stages according to these markers. We prospectively enrolled HCV‐positive patients with congenital bleeding disorders with or without HIV coinfection. Liver function tests and platelet counts were determined and TE was performed. Aspartate aminotransferase‐to‐platelet ratio index (APRI) and a simple index called FIB‐4 were calculated and results were correlated with TE. A total number of 174 patients were included (23% HCV, 36% HIV/HCV coinfected, 33% with cleared HCV and 8% with ongoing HIV but cleared HCV). TE correlated significantly with APRI and FIB‐4 (r = 0.60; P < 0.001 and r = 0.54; P < 0.001 respectively). This correlation was pronounced in patients with ongoing HCV infection (r = 0.67; P < 0.001 and r = 0.60; P < 0.001). Prediction of advanced fibrosis resulted in concordance rates >80% with combinations of TE plus APRI and APRI plus FIB‐4. HIV/HCV coinfected patients did not present with advanced fibrosis stages when compared with HCV‐monoinfected patients. Combinations of two non‐invasive markers may significantly reduce the number of liver biopsies in patients with bleeding disorders and advanced liver fibrosis. Furthermore, our data support previous studies that observed a favourable outcome in patients with HIV/HCV and a preserved immune function in times of highly active antiretroviral therapy.     

Proficiency of transient elastography compared to liver biopsy for the assessment of fibrosis in HIV/HBV‐coinfected patients

Summary. Transient elastography (TE) is a noninvasive technique to evaluate liver fibrosis. We compared the performance of TE with liver biopsy (LB) in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) coinfection. Patients prospectively underwent TE and LB. The diagnosis accuracy of TE was calculated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for different stages of fibrosis, and optimal cut‐off values were defined. A sequential algorithm combining TE with biochemical score (Fibrotest®) is proposed. Fifty‐seven patients had both TE and LB (median time: 3 days) and two with proven cirrhosis, only TE. Forty‐six (78%) were under antiretroviral therapy with anti‐HBV drugs in 98%, and 19 (32%) had elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT). A significant correlation was observed between liver stiffness measurement (LSM) and METAVIR fibrosis stages (P < 0.0001). Patients with elevated ALT tended to have higher LSM than those with normal ALT. The areas under the ROC curves were 0.85 for significant fibrosis (≥F2), 0.92 for advanced fibrosis (≥F3) and 0.96 for cirrhosis. Using a cut‐off of 5.9 kPa for F≥2 and 7.6 kPa for F ≥ 3, the diagnosis accuracy was 83% and 86%, respectively. With an algorithm combining TE and Fibrotest®, 97% of patients were well classified for significant fibrosis. Using this algorithm, the need for LB can be reduced by 67%. In HIV/HBV‐coinfected patients, most of them with normal ALT under antiretroviral treatment including HBV active drugs, TE was proficient in discriminating moderate to severe fibrosis from minimal liver disease.     

Performance of noninvasive markers for liver fibrosis is reduced in chronic hepatitis C with normal transaminases

In chronic hepatitis C, biopsy is the gold standard for assessment of liver fibrosis. Few studies investigated noninvasive markers of liver fibrosis in hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients with normal alanine aminotrasferase (NALT). Eighty HCV patients with NALT and 164 HCV patients with elevated alanine aminotrasferase (EALT) who underwent a diagnostic liver biopsy were evaluated for AST-to-platelet ratio, Forns' index, AST-to-ALT ratio (AAR), Fibrotest and the recently proposed Fibroindex, using liver histology as reference standard. The primary end-point was the detection of significant fibrosis (> or =F2). Performance of noninvasive markers was expressed as specificity, sensitivity and positive (PPV) and negative (NPV) predictive value, accuracy and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). All noninvasive markers for liver fibrosis tested showed a poorer performance in NALT group than in EALT group. Overall, Fibrotest had the best performance in NALT group, as showed by AUROC of 0.70 and 73.5% accuracy. Performance of AAR, Forns' index and Fibroindex was poor in NALT group and it was significantly lower than in EALT group for Forns and Fibroindex (AUROC 0.6 vs 0.76 and 0.58 vs 0.74, respectively, P = 0.05). In NALT patients, PPV was high for all noninvasive markers (>87%) except for AAR, while NPV was low (<65%), thus none of them was able to reliably exclude significant fibrosis. In conclusion, performance of noninvasive-markers is significantly reduced in HCV patients with NALT. Liver biopsy may still be needed for many of these cases to correctly stage liver fibrosis. Specific noninvasive tools and possibly combination of markers should be developed and validated in this clinical setting.     

Transient elastography and other noninvasive tests to assess hepatic fibrosis in patients with viral hepatitis

Summary. The limitations of liver biopsy (invasive procedure, sampling errors, inter‐observer variability and nondynamic fibrosis evaluation) have stimulated the search for noninvasive approaches for the assessment of liver fibrosis in patients with viral hepatitis. A variety of methods including the measurement of liver stiffness, using transient elastography, and serum markers, ranging from routine laboratory tests to more complex algorithms or indices combining the results of panels of markers, have been proposed. Among serum indices, Fibrotest has been the most extensively studied and validated. Transient elastography appears as a promising method but has been mostly validated in chronic hepatitis C with performance equivalent to that of serum markers for the diagnosis of significant fibrosis. The combination of both approaches as first‐line assessment of liver fibrosis could avoid the performance of liver biopsy in the majority of patients with chronic hepatitis C, a strategy that deserves further evaluation in patients with hepatitis B or HIV‐HCV coinfection. Transient elastography also appears to be an excellent tool for early detection of cirrhosis and may have prognostic value in this setting. Guidelines are now awaited for the use of noninvasive methods in clinical practice.     

丙氨酸氨基转移酶水平正常与轻度升高慢性HBV感染者的肝脏病理学特征比较

目的 探讨ALT/AST正常和ALT/AST轻度升高慢性HBV感染者的肝脏病理学特征,并进行比较. 方法 收集ALT/AST正常慢性HBV感染者134例,ALT/AST轻度升高慢性HBV感染者265例,采用肝脏穿刺术以进行肝活组织病理学检查;用荧光定量PCR法检测血清HBVDNA水平;用化学发光法定量检测血清HBV标志物(HBsAg、抗-HBs、HBeAg、抗-HBe、抗-HBc).计数资料采用x2检验分析,相关性采用Spearman等级相关分析. 结果 ALT/AST轻度升高组男性比例明显增加.ALT/AST正常组,50.0％ (67/134)的患者肝脏有中度以上的病理学改变,3.0％(4/134)的患者炎症或纤维化程度在3级(期)以上;ALT/AST轻度升高组,65.7％ (174/265)的患者肝脏有中度以上的病理学改变,16.2％ (43/265)的患者炎症或纤维化程度在3级(期)以上.ALT/AST轻度升高组肝脏炎症程度和纤维化程度均较ALT/AST正常组严重(x2=26.386,P＜0.01;x 2=15.299,P＜0.01).在ALT/AST正常组,炎症程度和纤维化程度均与年龄呈正相关(rs=0.620,P＜ 0.01;rs=0.347,P＜0.01);而在ALT/AST轻度升高组,炎症程度和纤维化程度均与年龄呈负相关(rs=-0.807,p＜0.01 ;rs=-0.557,P＜0.01).两组患者肝脏炎症程度和纤维化程度均与HBV DNA载量呈负相关(rs=-0.215,P＜0.01,rs=-0.527,P＜0.01;rs=-0.951,P＜ 0.01 ;rs=-0.715,P＜0.01),而与HBeAg阳性与否无明显相关性.结论 ALT/AST正常或轻度升高的慢性HBV感染者大部分肝脏均有中度以上的病理学改变;即使HBV DNA处于低水平,无论HBeAg阳性与否,也都是需要密切观察的群体.     

Histological improvement of long‐term antiviral therapy in chronic hepatitis B patients with persistently normal alanine aminotransferase levels

The aim of this study was to evaluate the histological outcomes of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with persistently normal alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels after long‐term antiviral therapy. Paired liver biopsies before and after lamivudine (LAM) treatment in CHB patients with normal and elevated ALT levels were compared. Histological response was defined as a 1‐point decrease according to the Scheuer scoring system, without worsening of fibrosis between pretreatment and posttreatment biopsies. Among the 48 patients who underwent paired liver biopsies, 17 had persistently normal baseline ALT level and 31 had elevated ALT level. The median age of the patients was 44 years and 72.9% of the patients were male. The median duration of antiviral treatment was 44.5 months (range 14–104). Long‐term follow‐up of liver biopsies revealed that 82.4% of patients in the normal ALT group and 61.3% in the elevated ALT group had a baseline fibrosis score of 4, which was reduced to 17.6% and 38.7% after long‐term therapy, respectively, indicating reversal of cirrhosis in a large proportion of both groups, especially in patients with normal baseline ALT levels. Long‐term antiviral treatment could achieve significant histological improvement in CHB patients with fibrosis or cirrhosis, regardless of ALT level.     

抗HBV特异性主动免疫治疗肝功能正常的慢性HBV感染5年随访

目的探讨抗HBV特异性主动免疫对肝功能正常的慢性HBV感染者的远期疗效。方法治疗组125例采用抗HBV特异性主动免疫治疗:乙型肝炎(乙肝)疫苗20μg、注射用重组人白细胞介素-220万U、沙格司亭75μg,分别行三角肌肌内注射,每月1次,12次为1个疗程。对照组75例,采用维生素B1200mg,注射方法同上。结果治疗组疗程结束时HBsAg、HBeAg阴转率与HBV DNA(<105copies/ml)例数分别为7(5.6%)、20(16.0%)及22(17.6%),明显高于对照组的0、4(5.3%)及3(4.0%)(P<0.05)。结论抗HBV特异性主动免疫对肝功能正常的慢性HBV感染者近期及远期均有一定的疗效。     

Apolipoprotein E genotypes modulate fibrosis progression in patients with chronic hepatitis C and persistently normal transaminases

Background and Aim: Carriage of the apolipoprotein E (Apo E) variants, E2, E3 and E4, affects cholesterol metabolism and may be involved in the persistence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Our aim was to verify whether carriage of specific Apo E variants modulates the course of hepatitis C. Methods: We studied a cohort of 116 HCV‐positive patients (49 male subjects) with persistently normal transaminases and an Ishak staging score ≤ 2 at an initial biopsy. These untreated patients underwent regular clinical monitoring (median histological follow up: 10 years). Apo E variants were genotyped and results were related to the histological outcome. Results: The mean ± standard deviation staging scores were 0.9 ± 0.7 at entry versus 1.9 ± 1.2 at the end of follow up, P < 0.0001. Initial and final staging scores in the E3/E3 homozygotes (n = 74) were 1.0 ± 0.7 versus 2.1 ± 1.3, P < 0.0001, while in the remaining patients (n = 42) they were 0.9 ± 0.6 versus 1.5 ± 1.0, P < 0.002. A synergistic effect was observed between Apo E polymorphisms and baseline serum cholesterol values: patients not carrying any E3 allele, as well as carriers of a single E3 allele with serum cholesterol concentration > 190 mg/dL were more likely to have a favorable outcome (final vs initial staging score increased in 7/66, did not change in 10/46, and decreased in 3/4, P < 0.005). Conclusions: Some of the variability in the natural history of patients with persistently normal transaminases with initially mild hepatitis C can be related to their Apo E genetic background.