2018 Volume 67 Issue 4 Pages 541-545
Chronic hepatitis due to diseases such as hepatitis virus, alcoholic hepatitis, and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis causes fibrosis and may lead to liver cancer after the onset of cirrhosis in the future. The gold standard for liver fibrosis diagnosis is liver biopsy, but since it is an invasive examination, hyaluronic acid (HA), type IV collagen (collagen), which is a blood component, and physiological examination methods are used. A test using a novel liver fibrosis marker (M2BPGi) is covered by the national health insurance. Although HA is susceptible to dietary influences, the effects of the diet on M2BPGi level have not been investigated. We compared the influences of the diet on M2BPGi level as well as fluctuations in blood HA and type IV collagen levels. As a result, only the measured HA level increased significantly 1 to 2 hours after meal intake compared with before meals. M2BPGi and collagen levels were not affected by meal intake. In conclusion, M2BPGi measurement can be correctly evaluated as part of specific blood examinations.
