LIMITED DIAGNOSTIC ACCURACY OF FIB-4 FOR DETECTING SIGNIFICANT LIVER FIBROSIS IN CHRONIC HEPATITIS B: A...

Liver disease linked to the hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a serious public threat worldwide and in Egypt. The incidence of HBV infection in Egypt is about 1.4%. Accurate liver fibrosis assessments are crucial in the evaluation and follow-up of HBV patients, but traditional biopsies have limitations, prompting the use of non-invasive methods like the vibration controlled transient elastography (VCTE), which may not be available in limited-resource treatment centers.

This study aimed to assess the diagnostic accuracy of Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) and Aminotransferase to Platelet Ratio Index (APRI) compared to VCTE in detecting significant liver fibrosis in adult chronic HBV patients, potentially offering a more accessible and less costly approach to disease management. Methods - In this cross-sectional study, 247 subjects with chronic HBV from Alexandria University Viral Hepatitis Treatment Unit were included. Data collected included demographic details, HBV viral load, liver function tests, Complete Blood Count (CBC), international normalized ratio (INR), prothrombin time, albumin, total and direct bilirubin, APRI score, FIB-4 score, imaging, and VCTE data. IBM SPSS software was used for statistical analysis, with qualitative and quantitative data described appropriately. Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) curves were used to identify significant predictors of advanced fibrosis and assess diagnostic performance.

Based on VCTE results, 247 chronic hepatitis B patients were classified into two groups: 140 with no or mild fibrosis (F0/1) and 107 with significant fibrosis (F2-F4). Significant differences were found in hemoglobin, albumin, and INR levels between the groups. The FIB-4 and APRI scores were significantly higher in the significant fibrosis group, with median FIB-4 scores of 1.26 vs 0.79 and median APRI scores of 0.40 vs 0.27. The FIB-4 index remained a significant predictor of significant fibrosis in multivariate analysis, with an odds ratio of 1.558. At a cut-off value of >0.88, the FIB-4 score achieved a sensitivity of 65.42% and a specificity of 60.0% in differentiating patients with and without significant fibrosis.

Although the use of FIB-4 score is potentially useful in resource-limited settings, a significant number of misclassifications can occur due to its moderate sensitivity and specificity which necessitate further incorporation of additional diagnostic methods to ensure the accurate staging of liver fibrosis.