A simple blood test can predict the risk of
liver-related death or hepatic encephalopathy for people living with HIV
who have hepatitis B or hepatitis C co-infection, investigators from
the EuroSIDA cohort report in PLoS One.
Their results showed that
baseline elevations in plasma levels of hyaluronic acid (HA) were associated
with a significant increase in the risk of serious liver-related events. Levels
of this biomarker remained stable in people who remained 'event free', but
increased in those experiencing disease progression.
“The present study indicates that HA could
be a useful biomarker to estimate the long-term risk of liver disease,” write
the authors.
Read the PLoS article here
Read more.... Labels: disease progression, HIV/HBV coinfection, hyaluronic acid (HA), monitoring, mortality