Open AccessAssessment of liver disease in patients with chronic hepatitis C and unhealthy alcohol use
Author(s) -
Daniel Fuster,
Xavier GarcíaCalvo,
Paola Zuluaga,
Ferrán Bolao,
Roberto Muga
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
world journal of gastroenterology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.427
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 2219-2840
pISSN - 1007-9327
DOI - 10.3748/wjg.v27.i23.3223
Subject(s) - medicine , chronic liver disease , liver disease , gastroenterology , alcohol , hepatitis c , chronic hepatitis , alcoholic hepatitis , alcoholic liver disease , hepatitis , immunology , cirrhosis , chemistry , virus , biochemistry
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and unhealthy alcohol use are major drivers of the burden of liver disease worldwide and commonly co-occur. Assessment of underlying liver damage is a cornerstone of the clinical care of patients with chronic HCV infection and/or unhealthy alcohol use because many of them are diagnosed at advanced stages of disease. Early diagnosis of liver disease before decompensated liver cirrhosis becomes established is essential for treatment with direct acting antivirals and/or abstinence from alcohol consumption, which are the main therapeutic approaches for clinical management. In this review, we discuss current knowledge around the use of non-invasive methods to assess liver disease, such as abdominal ultrasound, controlled attenuation parameter, transient elastography, magnetic resonance imaging, and indices based on serum markers of liver injury.