Serum YKL-40 Levels as a Non-Invasive Potential Biomarker for Liver Fibrosis Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND

This research's comprehensive review and meta-analysis seek to offer additional non-invasive techniques for diagnosing and monitoring liver fibrosis, thereby serving as a dependable resource for clinical practice and scientific investigation.

METHODS

To find pertinent research on the use of serum YKL-40 levels in liver fibrosis patients, databases including PubMed, Web of Science, WILEY ONLINE LIBRARY, Scopus, Embase, Cochrane Library, Science Direct, CNKI, Wanfang Data, VIP Information, and the China Biology Medicine Library System were searched. The search was conducted up to May 2024.

RESULTS

In studies comparing serum YKL-40 levels in patients with hepatic fibrosis and controls, the overall combined difference was 1.37 (0.66, 2.08), with the Chinese subgroup showing high heterogeneity, while the Egyptian study did not show heterogeneity. A total of 17 studies, including 2554 patients, were included. The combined sensitivity for diagnosing advanced fibrosis and severe fibrosis was 0.80 and 0.78 respectively, with specificities of 0.88 and 0.82. The AUC for advanced fibrosis and severe fibrosis were 0.91 and 0.87 respectively.

CONCLUSION

Serum YKL-40 shows potential value in diagnosis of liver fibrosis, but further clinical research is needed to confirm and improve its utility.