HUMAN HEPATOCYTE GROWTH-FACTOR IN ALCOHOLIC LIVER-DISEASE - A COMPARISON WITH CHANGE IN ALPHA-FETOPROTEIN

To evaluate the hepatic regenerative response in patients with alcohol ic liver disease, sera from 263 patients with severe alcoholic hepatit is and/or cirrhosis were analyzed for hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) a nd alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). HGF concentration was elevated above healt hy controls in 95% of the patients (median level = 2.4 ng/ml), whereas AFP tended to be depressed below controls (median level = 4.1 ng/ml). Correlations with parameters of liver injury (i.e., ascites, encephal opathy, AST bilirubin, and protime) all showed a more significant corr elation with HGF concentrations than those of AFP. Patients with HGF l evels below the mean (4 ng/ml) exhibited significantly better survival (median survival = 35 months vs. 8.5 months for those with HGF greate r than or equal to 4 ng/ml; p = 0.007). Serum HGF levels were associat ed with various specific histologic features of alcoholic hepatitis th at included, but were not exclusively related to, necrosis.