Relationship between Histopathological Stages of Liver and Albumin-Bilirubin Score in Hepatitis B Infection

Abstract

Aim: In this study, sensitivity and specificity of the albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) score were investigated to detect significant liver fibrosis, and these findings were then compared to fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) and aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index (APRI) scores. Material and Methods: A total of 69 patients were included in the study. Of these patients, 54 (78.3%) were male and 15 (21.7%) were female. Serology, molecular analysis, biochemical parameters, and pathology results of the patients who underwent a liver biopsy due to a chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, were retrospectively evaluated. ALBI, APRI, and FIB-4 scores were calculated. To predict the fibrosis stage, F≥2 and F≥4, ALBI, APRI, and FIB-4 scores were investigated using the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results: The area under the ROC curve with 95% confidence interval (CI) for the ALBI, APRI, and FIB-4 scores were 0.613 (95% CI: 0.463-0.762, p=0.160), 0.658 (95% CI: 0.513-0.803, p=0.040), and 0.731 (95% CI: 0.570-0.891, p=0.004), respectively, to predict the F≥2, and 0.758 (95% CI: 0.544-0.971, p=0.090), 0.604 (95% CI:0.451-0.757, p=0.490), and 0.923 (95% CI: 0.856-0.990, p=0.005), respectively, in prediction of F≥4. The sensitivity and specificity rates of the ALBI score were 61.1% and 64.7%, respectively, for the cut-off value of -2.81 in predicting F≥2, and 75.0% and 70.8% for the cut-off value of -2.78 in predicting F≥4. Conclusion: ALBI scores can be used to detect F≥2 in patients with chronic HBV. However, it is not yet clear whether this approach is superior to other non-invasive methods for detecting F≥4.

Keywords

• hepatitis b
• chronic
• biopsy
• fibrosis
• hepatit b
• kronik
• biyopsi
• fibrozis