Journal of Bacteriology & Parasitology

Abstract

Serum Hyaluronic Acid (HA) and Soluble Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1(Sicam-1) as Non-Invasive Markers of Liver Fibrosis in Viral Hepatitis, Schistosomiasis mansoni and Co-infected Patients

Khadiga Ahmed Ismail, Sabah Abd-El-Ghany Ahmed and Noha Abdel Fattah Elleboudy

Background: This study aimed to correlate serum Hyaluronic Acid (HA) and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), with severity of liver fibrosis as clinically and histologically assessed in viral hepatitis, schistosomiasis mansoni and co-infected patients.
Methods: The study was performed on 4 groups: Group 1 (G1) 15 chronic hepatitis patients; Group 2 (G2) 15 chronic schistosomiasis mansoni co-infected with chronic hepatitis patients; Group 3 (G3) 15 chronic schistosomiasis mansoni without hepatitis patients; Group 4 (G4) 15 active schistosomiasis mansoni without hepatitis patients.
Results:The results showed a significant high level of HA and sICAM-1 in all groups compared to G4, while a significantly high level of HA in G2 compared to G3. There was a highly significant positive correlation between the level of HA and sICAM-1 and between both of them, and Child-Pugh clinical classification of patients with higher levels in Child-Pugh C. Also, serum level of both HA and sICAM-1 was positively correlated to the severity of liver fibrosis assessed by biopsy, with a highly significant higher level in advanced stages 4 and 5.
Conclusions: HA and sICAM-1 showed good diagnostic performance and could discriminate severe from mild liver fibrosis, enabling them to be used as valuable non-invasive markers to identify and follow up patients with liver fibrosis.