ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Surrogate biomarkers of liver fibrosis developed in tertiary care are increasingly used in general populations. We evaluated the association between liver stiffness (LS) and five continuous (AST/ALT, APRI, Forns Index, FIB-4, GGT) and two discrete biomarkers (BARD, BAAT) in a general population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 636 (29%) of the 2159 citizens of the Bagnacavallo Study had LS measured by transient elastography. Using linear regression with univariate multiple imputation, we evaluated the association of LS with the above biomarkers in the total sample of 2159 citizens. RESULTS: The mean change of LS between the 5th and 95th internal percentile of any continuous biomarker was ≤1kPa. The mean change of LS between scores 0 and 3 of BARD and scores 0 and ≥3 of BAAT was >1kPa but of doubtful clinical relevance. CONCLUSION: We found a modest association between LS and seven biomarkers of liver fibrosis in a general population.
Subject(s)
Fatty Liver, Alcoholic/blood , Liver Cirrhosis/blood , Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/blood , Adult , Alanine Transaminase/blood , Aspartate Aminotransferases/blood , Cholesterol, HDL/blood , Cholesterol, LDL/blood , Elasticity Imaging Techniques , Fatty Liver, Alcoholic/diagnostic imaging , Female , Humans , Liver Cirrhosis/diagnostic imaging , Male , Metabolic Syndrome , Middle Aged , Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/diagnostic imaging , Obesity , Overweight , Platelet Count , gamma-Glutamyltransferase/bloodABSTRACT
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Terlipressin plus albumin is first-line treatment for hepatorenal syndrome (HRS). Therapy lasts from a few days to two weeks, whereas the efficacy and safety of long-term administration remain unsettled. METHODS: We describe our experience of prolonged terlipressin and albumin treatment as a bridge to liver transplantation in three patients with cirrhosis and recurrent HRS. RESULTS: The length of treatment ranged from 62 days to eight months. Attempts to suspend terlipressin or to switch treatment to midodrine plus octreotide were consistently associated with a deterioration of serum creatinine and oliguria. No major side-effects were observed. All patients were transplanted, but two died from peri-operative complications. CONCLUSIONS: These clinical cases suggest that long-term terlipressin administration in selected patients with recurrent HRS awaiting liver transplantation may represent an option to prevent irreversible renal failure and the need for dialysis until an organ becomes available.
