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Serum CHI3L1 as a diagnostic marker and risk factor for liver fibrosis in HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B
Yuecui Li1, Chenghang Li1, Lili Zhang1
1Department of Infection Diseases, The First People's Hospital of Yongkang Yongkang 321300, Zhejiang, China.
Insights
Serum chitinase 3-like 1 (CHI3L1) shows diagnostic value for liver fibrosis (LF) in patients with hepatitis B e antigen-negative chronic hepatitis B (CHB). CHI3L1, FIB-4, and GPR are identified as risk factors for LF in this population.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Biomarker Discovery
- Clinical Diagnostics
Background:
- Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is a primary cause of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.
- Accurate staging of liver fibrosis (LF) is crucial for managing CHB patients.
- Non-invasive biomarkers are needed for assessing LF in HBeAg-negative CHB.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the diagnostic value of serum chitinase 3-like 1 (CHI3L1) for liver fibrosis (LF) in HBeAg-negative CHB.
- To analyze the correlation of CHI3L1 with LF staging and established markers.
- To identify risk factors for LF in this patient cohort.
Main Methods:
- Serum CHI3L1 levels were quantified in 78 HBeAg-negative CHB patients.
- Patients were stratified into F0-1 and F2-4 fibrosis groups using METAVIR scoring.
- Correlation analysis with FIB-4 and GPR, ROC curve analysis, and logistic regression were performed.
Main Results:
- Serum CHI3L1 levels were positively correlated with LF markers (FIB-4, GPR) and LF stage.
- CHI3L1 demonstrated high diagnostic efficiency for LF staging (80.00% sensitivity, 71.05% specificity).
- CHI3L1, FIB-4, and GPR were identified as significant risk factors for LF.
Conclusions:
- Serum CHI3L1 is a valuable diagnostic marker for liver fibrosis staging in HBeAg-negative CHB.
- CHI3L1, alongside FIB-4 and GPR, serves as a significant risk factor for LF.
- These findings support the clinical utility of CHI3L1 in managing CHB-related liver fibrosis.
Abstract:
Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) as the major inducement of hepatocellular carcinoma and cirrhosis, imposes a heavy health burden upon patients. This research aims to investigate the diagnostic value of serum chitinase 3-like 1 (CHI3L1) in hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-negative CHB liver fibrosis (LF) and to analyze the risk factors. We selected 78 patients with HBeAg-negative CHB admitted to our hospital between October 2018 and October 2019, and grouped them (F0,1 group, n=38; F2-4 group, n=40) based on their stages evaluated by the METAVIR scoring system. Cubital venous blood was collected from patients in both groups to quantify the content of CHI3L1 after serum extraction. The correlation of CHI3L1 in CHB with LF diagnostic markers fibrosis 4 (FIB-4) and γ-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT) to platelet (PLT) ratio (GPR) as well as LF staging was analyzed. The diagnostic value of serum CHI3L1 in HBeAg-negative CHB fibrosis staging was analyzed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and the multivariate analysis of the risk factors for FB in HBeAg-negative CHB patients was performed using the Logistic regression model. This study found that serum CHI3L1 was positively correlated not only with LF markers (FIB-4, GPR), but also with LF staging. Serum CHI3L1 had high diagnostic efficiency for LF staging, with the sensitivity and specificity of 80.00% and 71.05%, respectively. In addition, CHI3L1, FIB-4, and GPR were identified to be the risk factors for LF in HBeAg-negative CHB. In conclusion, serum CHI3L1 can be used as a diagnostic marker and risk factor for LF in patients with HBeAg-negative CHB.
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