Receiver Operating Characteristic Analysis of Liver Function Tests in Patients with Chronic Viral Hepatitis B in Baghdad, Iraq

Abstract

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a global health challenge, and clearance or persistence of HBV is mostly determined by host immune responses, Therefore, this study aimed to determine HBV effects in chronic HBV patients living in Baghdad receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. The impact of HBV genotypes on liver-function parameters was explored A case-control study was conducted during June-October 2018 on 80 chronic HBV patients and 96 matched control. The results revealed that most patients were males 50 (62.5%), while female patients accounted for 30 (37.5%). The sera of patients were positive for anti-HBc (hepatitis B core antigen) IgG and -HbsAg (hepatitis B surface antigen) antibodies, while they were negative for anti-Hbc IgM antibody. Such profile is consistent with the interpretation of chronic HBV infection. Four liver-function tests (LFTs); total serum bilirubin (TSB), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were assessed. Significantly increased levels of ALP, ALT and AST were observed in HBV patients compared to normal healthy control, while TSB showed no significant variation. However, in receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, only ALP and AST occupied an excellent area under curve (AUC > 0.90).

Keywords

• ROC
• Liver-function tests
• Chronic viral hepatitis B