Editorial: Metabolomics in chronic hepatitis C: Decoding fibrosis grading and underlying pathways

JORGE QUARLERI; M. VICTORIA DELPINO

World Journal of Hepatology

Baishideng Publishing Group

Año: 2023

In the management of the growing population of hepatitis C virus-infectedpatients, a significant clinical challenge exists in determining the most effectivemethods for assessing liver impairment. The prognosis and treatment of chronichepatitis C depend, in part, on the evaluation of histological activity, specificallycell necrosis and inflammation, and the extent of liver fibrosis. These parametersare traditionally obtained through a liver biopsy. However, liver biopsy presentsboth invasiveness and potential sampling errors, primarily due to inadequatebiopsy size. To circumvent these issues, several non-invasive markers have beenproposed as alternatives for diagnosing liver damage. Different imagingtechniques and blood parameters as single markers or combined with clinicalinformation are included. This Editorial discusses the identification of a set of sixdistinctive lipid metabolites in every fibrosis grade that appear to show apronounced propensity to create clusters among patients who share the samefibrosis grade, thereby demonstrating enhanced efficacy in distinguishingbetween the different grades.