Serum laminin and type IV collagen are accurate markers of histologically severe alcoholic hepatitis in patients with cirrhosis

Background/Aims: Severe alcoholic hepatitis occurs mainly in patients with cirrhosis, and has a high death rate. Corticosteroid therapy has been parti cularly advocated as reducing mortality in patients with severe histologic lesions, However, identification of these patients is difficult, requiring transvenous liver biopsy. Extracellular matrix serum markers have been prop osed as non-invasive diagnostic tools in alcoholic liver disease. The aim o f this study was to determine the accuracy of 5 extracellular matrix serum markers, i.e. laminin (Lam), N-terminal peptide of type III procollagen (PI IINP), type I (CL), type III (CIII) and type IV (CIV) collagens in identify ing patients with severe histologic alcoholic hepatitis from among those wi th cirrhosis and suspected alcoholic hepatitis, Methods: We studied 80 consecutive patients with alcoholic cirrhosis and cl inical suspicion of alcoholic hepatitis referred for transvenous liver biop sy. Clinical severity of alcoholic hepatitis was assessed according to Madd rey's score, Histological severity was scored using the sum of the 3 follow ing items: polynuclear infiltration (0-3); hepatocytes alterations (0-3); M allory bodies (0-2). According to this score, patients were divided into 3 groups: mild (1-3), moderate (4-6 ), and severe (7-8) alcoholic hepatitis, Serum levels of the 5 extracellular matrix serum markers were: measured at the time of biopsy using radioimmunoassays. Diagnostic value for histologic ally severe alcoholic hepatitis of the 5 extracellular matrix serum markers was assessed using receiver operating characteristic curves. Results: Histological alcoholic hepatitis was present in 67 patients (mean alcoholic hepatitis score: 3.4 +/- 2.3), Maddrey's score was 66% sensitive and 69% specific for the diagnosis of severe histologic alcoholic hepatitis , The serum Lam and CIV concentrations were the most accurate in identifyin g correctly patients with severe histologic alcoholic hepatitis. At a cut-o ff of 4.1 UI/ml, Lam was 90% sensitive and 77% specific, whereas at, a cut- off of 150 ng/ml, CIV was 89% sensitive and 77% specific, Combination of ma rkers did not result in improved diagnostic value. Conclusion: In patients,vith cirrhosis determination of serum Lam or CIV co uld represent a simple and accurate non-invasive method for identification of patients with histologically severe alcoholic hepatitis eligible for cor ticosteroid treatment.