Evaluation of serum prolidase activity as a marker for liver fibrosis in suspected liver disease

• Main Author: Stanfliet, John Christian
• Other Authors: Pillay, Tahir S
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: University of Cape Town 2015
• Subjects: Chemical Pathology
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/10805

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 67-72). === Liver dysfunction is common, often unrecognised and likely to increase in incidence in the population in parallel with the obesity and attendant type 2 diabetes mellitus epidemics. Liver fibrosis is a significant finding in liver pathology as it imparts important clinical staging and prognostic information, is a risk marker of adverse clinical outcome yet, even if advanced, is capable of reversal. Histological examination of liver biopsy material is the reference standard in the assessment of liver fibrosis, but it is impractical to biopsy all patients suspected of having liver disease. Serumprolidase is among novel biomarkers that have been described in diagnosing and/or staging liver fibrosis. This study evaluated the measurement and the diagnostic accuracy of serumprolidase in determining the potential presence and degree of liver fibrosis compared with liver biopsy.