GP73, a new marker for diagnosing HBV-ACLF in population with chronic HBV infections

Although Golgi protein 73 (GP73) has been widely evaluated for diagnosing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and other liver diseases in recent decade, its serum profile of patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-associated acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF) is still unknown. This study was designed to evaluate the serum levels of GP73 in patients with HBV-ACLF. The participants included 200 apparently healthy controls; 200 patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB); 200 patients with HCC; 210 patients with HBV-ACLF, in which 29 HBV-ACLF patients were followed up for 3 months. All patients were Hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) positive. The concentrations of GP73 in patients with HBV-ACLF (285.3 ± 128.5 ng/mL) were markedly higher than those HCC patients (159.1 ± 105.8 ng/mL), CHB patients (64.65 ± 44.99 ng/mL), and healthy controls (35.37 ± 12.41 ng/mL). When the cut-off value was set at 182.1 ng/mL, the sensitivity and specificity of HBV-ACLF diagnosis were 77.62% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 71.37%-83.07%) and 95.50% (95% CI: 92.27%-98.26%), respectively. If serum GP73 concentration was still above 361.6 ng/mL after 14 days of follow-up, the patient's prognosis may be depressed. Serum GP73 may be used to diagnosis HBV-ACLF in population with chronic HBV infections.