Non-invasive testing for liver pathology in alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency

Autor: John R Hurst, Elisha Pickett, Douglas Thorburn, Aileen Marshall, Bibek Gooptu, Syed Hamza Abbas
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2020
Předmět:
Zdroj: BMJ Open Respiratory Research, Vol 7, Iss 1 (2020)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2052-4439
DOI: 10.1136/bmjresp-2020-000820
Popis: Background Many patients with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (A1ATD) receive care in respiratory clinics without access to specialist hepatology expertise. Liver disease can develop asymptomatically, and non-invasive markers of fibrosis may help identify patients who require definitive assessment with liver biopsy. We evaluated the utility of non-invasive markers of liver fibrosis in A1ATD to guide testing in settings without ready access to hepatology expertise.Methods Patients attending the London A1ATD service undergo assessment using blood tests to calculate the ‘APRI’ and ‘FIB-4’ score, liver ultrasound and Fibroscan. Liver biopsy is offered to patients who have abnormal liver function tests with abnormal liver ultrasound and/or liver stiffness >6 kPa on Fibroscan. Liver biopsies were assessed for the presence of A1AT, steatosis, fibrosis and inflammation.Results 75 patients with A1ATD had results for analysis, 56% were female, age 16–82 years. 75% of patients had Fibroscan 8 kPa. There was a significant correlation between FIB-4 and Fibroscan (r=0.244, p=0.035). Fibroscan >6 kPa corresponded to a FIB-4 score of >1.26. However, FIB-4 >1.26 had poor sensitivity (47%), specificity (32%) and positive-predictive value (PPV; 36%) to identify Fibroscan >6 kPa. The negative-predictive value (NPV) was stronger at 81%. APRI data were similar. Twelve patients underwent liver biopsy, with 11 reports available for analysis. Six had FIB-4 scores
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