Montreal researchers develop new method for liver fibrosis screening among HIV patients
Researchers at the McGill University Health Centre have developed a more accurate screening method for liver fibrosis in HIV patients. The new 'FIB-HIV' score improves upon the standard FIB-4 test, which often misclassifies patients as low-risk.
Why it matters
Improving diagnostic accuracy for liver disease in HIV-positive populations is critical for preventing long-term organ damage and mortality.
Researchers at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) in Montreal have developed a new method for screening for liver fibrosis among HIV patients which they say are more effective compared to the commonly used test.
Liver fibrosis which is the build-up of scar tissue in the liver can lead to permanent damage and is one of the leading causes of death among those living with an HIV infection.
According to a study published in the Hepatology journal, researchers found that the commonly used FIB-4 blood test to detect scarring of liver tissue mis-classified over a third of the cases as low risk.
FIB-4 was particularly poor at detecting fibrosis among those with certain forms of steatotic liver disease (SLD), previously known as fatty liver disease. SLD affects one in three adults globally and can lead to liver fibrosis.
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