Sara Mahmoud ABD-ELHAMED, Basem Eysa ELSAYED, Waleed Mohamed SERAG, Magdy Mahmoud MOHAMED

Determination of liver fibrosis stages in Egyptian chronic hepatitis B patients by a noninvasive tool

Background/aim: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is the leading cause of liver fibrosis (LF). The prognosis and management ofpatients with chronic hepatitis B virus depend on the amount and progression of liver fibrosis. Angiopoietin-like protein 2 (Angptl2) isnot only a chronic inflammatory mediator, but also a tissue-remodeling factor. The aim of this study is to explore the predictive value ofAngptl2 in different fibrosis stages in patients chronically infected with HBV.Materials and methods: Eighty patients with chronic HBV infection undergoing Fibroscan were included. Serum concentrations ofAngptl2 were detected using a commercial ELISA kit.Results: Angptl2 levels were significantly associated with liver fibrosis stages (P = 0.02). The area under the curve (AUC) of Angptl2for distinguishing patients who showed significant fibrosis (F2–F4) was 70.2%. Angptl2 with fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) and Angptl2 with AST/platelets ratio (APRI) performed best with an AUC of 92.5%.Conclusion: In patients with chronic HBV infection, Angptl2 level represents a potential biomarker independently associated withfibrosis stages. The combination of Angptl2 with FIB-4 or Angptl2 with APRI performed better than the existing models for diagnosingsignificant fibrosis.

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