Serum Wisteria floribunda agglutinin‐positive Mac‐2‐binding protein for patients with chronic hepatitis B and C: a comparative study

We compared Wisteria floribunda agglutinin‐positive Mac‐2‐binding protein (WFA⁺‐M2BP) levels between patients with chronic hepatitis B (n=249) and chronic hepatitis C (n=386) based on the degree of liver fibrosis. We examined WFA⁺‐M2BP levels in patients with F4 (cirrhosis), F3 or more (advanced fibrosis) and F2 or more (significant fibrosis) in the two groups. We further examined the relationship between five fibrosis markers and the degree of fibrosis. The WFA⁺‐M2BP values ranged from 0.25 cut‐off index (COI) to 12.9 COI in patients with hepatitis B and 0.34–20.0 COI in patients with hepatitis C (P<.0001). The median WFA⁺‐M2BP values in F4 in the two groups were 2.83 COI in patients with hepatitis B and 5.03 COI in patients with hepatitis C (P=.0046). The median WFA⁺‐M2BP values in F3 or more in the two groups were 1.79 COI in patients with hepatitis B and 3.79 COI in patients with hepatitis C (P<.0001). The median WFA⁺‐M2BP values in F2 or more in the two groups were 1.49 COI in the hepatitis B cohort and 3.19 COI in the hepatitis C group (P<.0001). Among five liver fibrosis markers, WFA⁺‐M2BP had the highest correlation coefficient (r_s=.629) in terms of correlation with the degree of fibrosis in the patients with hepatitis C and had the second highest r_s value (.415) in the hepatitis B group. Although WFA⁺‐M2BP could be a useful indicator of liver fibrosis, WFA⁺‐M2BP levels in the two groups significantly differed even in the same degree of fibrosis. Individual cut‐off values in each aetiology for the degree of fibrosis should be determined.