Diagnostic utility of APRI, FIB-4, and FIB-5 in intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy: A retrospective case-control...

To investigate the diagnostic utility of three non-invasive hepatic fibrosis indices-aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI), Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4), and FIB-5-in pregnancies complicated by intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP), and exploratory analysis of neonatal outcomes.

This retrospective case-control study included 217 pregnant women who delivered at Göztepe Prof. Dr. Süleyman Yalçın City Hospital, a tertiary care center affiliated with Istanbul Medeniyet University, between September 2018 and February 2024. The study population was divided into two groups: 105 women diagnosed with ICP and 112 pregnant women without ICP who served as controls. The diagnosis of ICP was based on clinical pruritus, elevated serum bile acid levels (>10 μmol/L), and abnormal liver function tests. Women with pre-eclampsia, HELLP (hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelets) syndrome, coagulopathy, hepatitis, multiple pregnancies, or other hepatic conditions were excluded. Laboratory parameters including aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), albumin, and platelet counts were used to calculate APRI, FIB-4, and FIB-5 scores. Statistical analyses included Mann-Whitney U-tests for group comparisons and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analyses to determine the diagnostic performance of each score.

APRI and FIB-5 scores were significantly higher in the ICP group compared with controls, whereas FIB-4 showed a smaller between-group difference (P < 0.001 for APRI and FIB-5; P = 0.022 for FIB-4). ROC analysis demonstrated good diagnostic performance for APRI (area nder the curve [AUC] = 0.902; cut-off = 0.39; sensitivity = 82%; specificity = 89%) and moderate performance for FIB-5 (AUC = 0.718; cut-off = -1.84; sensitivity = 67%; specificity = 70%). FIB-4 showed lower diagnostic value (AUC = 0.590). Elevated scores were also associated with adverse neonatal outcomes, increased rates of preterm birth, and greater need for neonatal intensive care.

APRI, FIB-4, and FIB-5 are elevated in pregnancies affected by ICP and may serve as supportive, non-invasive markers reflecting hepatocellular stress and hepatic involvement. Among these indices, APRI showed the best diagnostic performance, FIB-5 demonstrated moderate discriminative ability, and FIB-4 had limited diagnostic utility. These indices may provide clinicians with additional information when evaluating hepatic dysfunction and may be associated with neonatal outcomes, although they are not validated prognostic tools. Prospective studies are warranted to further validate their clinical utility.