Overview of diagnostic laboratory tests and diagnostic criteria for liver injury caused by Kampo medicine

Abstract

BackgroundSeveral studies have suggested that the known biomarkers and the diagnostic scales are unreliable for the diagnosis of Kampo‐induced liver injury (KMILI).Diagnostic BiomarkersThe lymphocyte transformation test (LTT) for Kampo medicines is likely to give false positive results, while the normal level of the basophil activation test (BAT) for diagnosing Kampo liver injury remains uncertain.Diagnostic ScaleDue to the lack of reliable biomarkers, diagnostic scales have been developed; however, the Digestive Disease Week [DDW])‐Japan criteria, which is widely used in Japan, has extremely low specificity for diagnosing KMILI.ConclusionThe diagnosis of KMILI remains challenging, and we eagerly await the development of reliable biomarkers for KMILI.