Elevation of the AST to ALT ratio in association with the severity of esophageal varices in patients with HCV-related compensated liver cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The development of esophageal varices depends on the progression of liver fibrosis. However, it has not yet been sufficiently clarified whether biomarkers of liver fibrosis can be used to predict the incidence of varices in cirrhotic patients with a well-maintained liver function (Child-Pugh class A).

METHODOLOGY

Three established markers of liver fibrosis, including AST-to-ALT ratios (AAR), FIB-4 and AST-to-platelet ratio indices (APRI), were analyzed in HCV-positive cirrhotic patients with Child-Pugh class A status, and the relationships between these markers and the risk of variceal bleeding were investigated.

RESULTS

The values of AAR and FIB-4 in the patient with varices with a high risk of hemorrhage were significantly higher than those in the patients without high-risk varices, whereas the value of APRI was not found to be related to the risk of variceal bleeding. Of all the parameters examined, the values of AAR were the most significantly different between the two (with or without high-risk varices) groups. In addition, the values of AAR increased in line with variceal severity.

CONCLUSIONS

The value of AAR is related to the severity and risk of variceal bleeding in patients with HCV-related compensated cirrhosis.