Serum Elabela Level as a Reliable Biomarker for Predicting of Liver Fibrosis in Iraqi Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C

Abstract

Background: Elabela is a newly discovered peptide hormone that has been implicated in liver disease. Objective: The main objective of the current work is to assess whether variations in blood Elabela levels among chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients from Iraq might be used as a biomarker for liver fibrosis. Materials and Methods: A case-control study was conducted in Baghdad, Iraq. The overall sample size (n = 80) that met the inclusion criteria was divided into two groups as follows: 40 patients who were diagnosed with CHC and 40 healthy matched individuals. The aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) was used to identify the group of patients at risk for liver fibrosis. The routine complete blood count, liver function, and serum Elabela tests were performed. Serum Elabela level was evaluated by using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique. Results: Serum Elabela was significantly higher in the CHC group (33.89 ± 8.51 ng/mL) than in the control group (18.11 ± 5.27 ng/mL). In addition, the percentage of CHC patients at a high risk of developing fibrosis was 42.5%. Also, the high-risk fibrosis group showed a significantly higher concentration of Elabela and APRI than the other groups (low-risk and control) at P < 0.0001. Alanine aminotransaminase and aspartate aminotransaminase showed a high increase while a low decrease in both Hb and platelet count against the healthy group (P < 0.0001). Conclusion: High serum Elabela level in CHC patients compared to the control group was associated with liver fibrosis and could be used clinically as a reliable biomarker to determine the high-risk patient in need of invasive liver biopsy and hazardous therapeutics.