Disorders of carbohydrate-lipid metabolism and galectin-3 level as factors of liver fibrosis progression in chronic hepatitis C

• Published in: Terapevtic̆eskii arhiv Vol. 93; no. 2; pp. 164 - 168
• Main Authors: Kovalevа, V A, Zhevnerova, N S, Antonova, T V
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Russian
• Published: Russia (Federation) "Consilium Medicum" Publishing house 15.02.2021
• Subjects: abdominal obesity; chronic hepatitis c; galectin-3; insulin resistance; liver fibrosis; liver fibrosis; abdominal obesity; galectin-3; insulin resistance; chronic hepatitis C
• ISSN: 0040-3660; 2309-5342
• DOI: 10.26442/00403660.2021.02.200623

To assess the effect of metabolic disorders and galectin-3 levels on the progression of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C. 106 patients with HCV without decompensated liver cirrhosis were examined. age younger than 20 and older than 65 years, diabetes, coronary heart disease, hypertension, alcoholism, drug addiction. Laboratory examination (biochemical blood test, enzyme immunoassay (ELISA) with determination of HCV-Ab antibodies, viral load) was supplemented with liver elastometry (Fibroscan) with fibrosis assessment (kPa, METAVIR scale). The body mass index of Quetelet (kg/m2), the presence of abdominal obesity, insulin resistance were evaluated. Serum levels of insulin and galectin-3 were determined by ELISA. In 45% of patients, an increase in ITM was revealed, in 44% abdominal obesity, in 62% insulin resistance. In 75% abdominal obesity was determined in patients with liver fibrosis F3F4. Insulin resistance was found more often in patients with fibrosis F01 56.7%. Significant correlations between the level of galectin-3 and the degree of liver fibrosis (in kPa) [r=0,206, p=0,034], as well as the stage of liver fibrosis (on the METAVIR scale) [r=0,247, p=0,01] were obtained. The level of galectin-3 in liver cirrhosis was 6.32 (4.57; 9.64) ng/ml, which is significantly higher than in F0 3.96 (1.45; 5.30) ng/ml (p=0.002) and F1 3.85 (2.20; 5.83) ng/ml (p=0.002). By calculating the specificity and sensitivity of isolated for F4 stage of liver fibrosis (ROC-curve, the level of galectin-3 is 5.21 ng/ml), the level of specificity of 74.7%, sensitivity of 74% was established. We found a significant relationship between the disturbances of carbohydrate-lipid metabolism and liver fibrosis, the level of galectin-3 and fibrosis stage of the liver. The prognostic value of increasing the level of galectin-3 for predicting the cirrhotic stage of liver fibrosis is substantiated.