Stratification Of LIver Disease (SOLID): protocol for a prospective observational cohort study to determine the optimum biomarker strategies for the detection of advanced liver disease at the primary–secondary care interface

Abstract

IntroductionUndiagnosed fatty liver disease is prevalent in the community, due to high rates of harmful alcohol consumption and/or obesity. Fatty liver disease can progress to cirrhosis and its complications. Early identification of liver disease and treatment may prevent progression to cirrhosis. Biomarkers including FIB-4, enhanced liver fibrosis (ELF), PRO-C3 and vibration controlled transient elastography (VCTE) can stage liver fibrosis, but it is not known how well they perform in a primary care population. Moreover, no assessment of long-term prognostic ability of these biomarkers has been conducted in primary care. We aim to evaluate the performance of fibrosis biomarkers in primary care to develop a pathway to detect advanced fibrosis.Methods and analysisThis prospective, observational cohort study will recruit 3000 individuals with fatty liver disease risk factors (obesity, type 2 diabetes or hazardous alcohol consumption) at their primary care ‘annual chronic disease review’. Participants will have a ‘liver health check’. Two pathways will be evaluated: (1) all have FIB-4, ELF and VCTE performed, and (2) patients have an initial assessment with FIB-4 and ELF, followed by VCTE in only those with increased FIB-4 and/or ELF. Individuals with suspected significant/advanced liver fibrosis (liver stiffness measurement>8 kPa), will be reviewed in secondary care to confirm their fibrosis stage and institute treatment. The performance of FIB-4, ELF, PRO-C3, VCTE and novel biomarkers alone or in combination for advanced fibrosis/cirrhosis will be evaluated. Participants will be followed longitudinally via their electronic health records to assess long-term clinical outcomes.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval was obtained from the London-Chelsea Research Ethics Committee (22/PR/0535; 27 June 2022). Recruitment began on 31 October 2022. Outcomes of this study will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at scientific meetings. A lay summary of the results will be available for study participants and will be disseminated widely by LIVErNORTH.

Simple proxies of insulin resistance identify obese metabolic dysfunction‐associated fatty liver disease subjects with advanced liver disease

“…The independent role of each risk factor will be better elucidated by prospective observations in the future. 32 Interestingly, a prediabetic status, such as impaired fasting glucose, was not relevant in determining LS in this cohort, indirectly confirming the pivotal role of relative hyperinsulinemia (on average 10.48 µU/mL), rather than fasting hyperglycaemia, in conferring this…”

“…In our study, overt T2D was an exclusion criterion, allowing us to evaluate the role of obesity per se . The independent role of each risk factor will be better elucidated by prospective observations in the future 32 …”

Preclinical Models and Promising Pharmacotherapeutic Strategies in Liver Fibrosis: An Update

“…Many factors contribute to this, such as an increase in incidence and prevalence of underlying conditions (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease-NAFLD, chronic viral hepatitis, exposure to toxins, polypharmacy, etc. ), lack of adequate diagnostic tools for aforementioned diseases, unclear mechanisms underlying hepatic fibrosis, and lack of clinically approved and effective pharmacotherapeutic options [1][2][3][4][5]. As a common outcome of various chronic liver diseases, it can also, if left uncontrolled, eventually progress to cirrhosis, and finally increase the risk for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma [4,6].…”