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THE ASSOCIATION OF PLATELET COUNTS AND ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE LEVELS WITH FIBRO SCAN SCORE OF PATIENTS WITH HEPATITIS C

Saim Amer Akhter, Muhammad Usama, Hafsa Nawaz, Azhar Hussain, Dr. Junaid Mushtaq

Abstract: Background: Hepatitis C has become a challenge for developing countries like Pakistan. Up until now, liver biopsy and fibro scan have been the most reliable methods to gauge the intensity of this disease. However, as patients with liver disease need frequent check-ups, carrying out such invasive or expensive techniques regularly seems highly infeasible. Therefore, the need for devising a noninvasive and inexpensive method is greatly on the rise. Objectives: Our aim was to examine the relation of platelet counts and alkaline phosphatase levels with fibro scan scores of patients with hepatitis C. Patients and Methods: Methods: The retrospective cross sectional study was carried out in medicine unit 1 & 2 and hepatitis clinic of Lahore General Hospital, Lahore, starting from February 15, 2018 to January 11, 2019. We studied 1898 HCV infected patients which were got CBC, LFTs, ELISA, PCR and fibro scan done to perfectly diagnose ongoing hepatitis C infection. In order to differentiate HCV fibrosis progression, we compared the serum platelet and alkaline phosphatase levels with fibro scan. Results: Patients with moderate and severe liver disease had lower platelet counts and increased alkaline phosphatase levels. No threshold value of platelet count could, however, accurately predict the grade of fibrosis of liver. Thus, no noticeable relationship of platelet counts with fibro scan score was found although alkaline phosphatase levels did show a statistically significant relationship with fibro scan score. Conclusions: Platelet count and alkaline phosphatase levels in hepatitis C can help determine the severity of the disease, but they cannot be exclusively relied upon in monitoring its progress. Keywords: Hepatitis C, Blood Platelets, Fibro scan score.

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