Handgrip Strength and Vitamin D as Predictors of Liver Fibrosis and Malnutrition in Chronic Hepatitis C Patients

BACKGROUND: In patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC), a negative impact of associated malnutrition on both morbidity and mortality was reported. We aimed to elucidate the efficacy of serum liver fibrosis markers (fibronectin (FN), hydroxyproline (Hyp), and hyaluronic acid (HA)) and their respective indices (HA index, Hyp index, and FN index) and vitamin D status in predicting malnutrition associated with liver fibrosis in CHC patients and to investigate their association with the value of current clinical malnutrition assessment tools subjective global assessment (SGA), handgrip strength (HGS), and muscle mass scores (SGA, BMI, MAMC, and HGS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 80 patients aged 40-60 years with proven viremia, HCV antibodies, HCV-RNA positivity, genotype determinations, and established chronic hepatitis C virus for more than 6 years and 80 control subjects. SGA, HGS, and muscle mass score (MAMC) were estimated in both patients and control subjects. Based on SGA scores, CHC patients were classified into three groups: well nourished (n = 12; SGA-A); mild or moderately malnourished (n = 25; SGA-B); and severely malnourished (n = 43; SGA-C). Liver fibrosis markers, inflammatory indicator α-Fetoprotein (AFP), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), 25-hydroxyvitamin D, and PTH were estimated using immunoassay techniques. RESULTS: CHC patients with moderate and severe malnutrition SGA scores showed a significant decline in the levels of vitamin D, increased PTH, and lower values of HGS and muscle mass indices compared to well-nourished patients and control subjects. In addition, malnutrition, vitamin D deficiency, and lower values of HGS, MAC, TSF, and MAMC showed significant correlation with liver severity among CHC patients. Liver fibrosis markers Hyp, HA, FN, APRI, HypI, HAI, and FNI as noninvasive biomarkers showed significant correlation with both severity of liver diseases and associated malnutrition, especially in cirrhotic HCV patients (F4) compared to those with significant fibrosis (F2–F3). CONCLUSION: The results showed that deficiency in vitamin D levels, HGS, SGA, and muscle mass scores (MAC, MAMC, or TSF) could be used as markers of liver pathogenicity in patients with CHC. In addition, the study concluded that noninvasive biomarkers Hyp, HA, FN, APRI, HypI, HAI, and FNI separately or in association with vitamin D status, HGS, SGA, and muscle mass scores (MAC, MAMC, or TSF) were significantly associated with an incidence of malnutrition between ~70.5% and 89.6% of CHC patients with significant fibrosis and cirrhosis.