|  | Conditions Treatments | Diseases

Liver Fibrosis Markers

Liver fibrosis is a painful and terminal illness that can be controlled with medication if found early. Diagnosing the severity of liver fibrosis used to involve a liver biopsy, which was not favored by doctors or patients due to the high mortality rate of this procedure. Most liver biopsies done occur after death to further study liver fibrosis and determine the severity that the patient presented. Liver fibrosis markers have made it possible to diagnose and determine the severity of the condition without the use of a liver biopsy.

  1. Liver Fibrosis

    • The Liver Unit from the hospital of Institut de Malalties Digestives of Barcelona, Spain defines liver fibrosis as the excessive collection of extracellular proteins that accompanies most liver disorders and diseases. These extracellular proteins are considered matrix proteins and can include collegen. If left untreated this condition can progress into a condition referred to as cirrhosis and result to liver failure and portal hypertension. The treatment for this advanced state of liver fibrosis requires a liver transplant.

    Liver Fibrosis Markers

    • Liver fibrosis can be detected through the use of various markers that make it possible to diagnose a patient without the use of biopsy methods. This is done through the use of a blood sample and the identification of the APRI, or aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio mix. There is also a Fibrotest which is a trademarked test that can be done by medical professionals. These tests can indicate if advanced liver fibrosis, or cirrhoisis, is present or if there is no fibrosis material on the liver. These tests do not diagnosis the severity of the fibrosis.

    New Tests

    • Dr Pratel and his colleagues are working on a method of determining the severity of liver fibrosis in patients. His study uses patients who have been diagnosed with hepatitis C that has caused liver damage. In this study he uses a test referred to as FibroSpect II to determine the severity of the liver fibrosis accurately between 71 percent to 87 percent of the time. This method uses the liver fibrosis markers in fibrogenic cascades which include hyaluronic acid, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP-1), and alpha 2 macroglobulin.

    Methods

    • The methods of collecting the liver fibrosis markers are as simple as a blood test. In this method, a phlebotomist draws blood from a patient's veins into a sterile vacuum vial through the use of a hollow needle. This is significantly less complicated than a liver biopsy, which is used to verify the findings of the tests for liver fibrosis using the markers. In a liver biopsy, a needle must be inserted into the liver and cells must be drawn from the liver for inspection. This can be done through several methods, including through an insertion of the jugular, a needle through the abdomen or a series of incisions above the liver.

    Importance

    • Determining the presence of liver fibrosis and the severity of the condition can result in reversal medications and can greatly increase the life quality and length of the patient. While liver fibrosis is symptomless, the condition can cause hypertension and can cause liver failure which can be a terminal condition. By catching the condition early through the use of liver fibrosis markers, more people can be treated with fibrosis reducers and see a successful recovery from the condition. The underlying causes of the condition, such as alcohol abuse or illness must also be addressed or the condition will return after the medication has lost its effectiveness.

Diseases - Related Articles