Clinical characteristics of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) patients who progressed from F3 stage fibrosis to cirrhotic NASH

Abstract

The present study investigated the clinical characteristics of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) patients who progressed from stage 3, zone 3 bridging fibrosis (F3 stage NASH) to cirrhosis. Of 95 NASH patients with repeated liver biopsies during a period of 4.6 years, 6 patients progressed to cirrhosis. The initial liver biopsies of these 6 patients were diagnosed as F3 stage NASH. Simple clinical variables and non-invasive biological tests were evaluated in 33 cases of F3 stage NASH. Increases in body mass index and fluctuations in transaminase levels, as well as the evaluation of homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance, ferritin, and hyaluronic acid in F3 stage NASH patients may prove useful in identifying individuals at risk of progression to cirrhosis.