Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38637963›Full record

ArticleBMJ open gastroenterology2023

Progression of the FIB-4 index among patients with chronic HCV infection and early liver disease.

Lisette A P Krassenburg, Raoel Maan, Amy Puenpatom, Nicole S Erler, Christoph Welsch, Stijn van Hees, Orlando Cerrhoci, Johannes Vermehren, Robert J de Knegt, Bettina E Hansen and 6 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open gastroenterology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.8field-weighted citation impact, top 26% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Linked Intronic Polymorphisms of theInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2026
    Article
  2. Hepatitis C virus in childhood and pregnancy.Infectious diseases & immunity · 2025
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

16 authors at 5 institutions in 5 countries.

Lisette A P KrassenburgDepartment of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-6680-3792
Raoel MaanDepartment of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Amy PuenpatomMerck & Co, Kenilworth, New Jersey, USA.
Nicole S ErlerDepartment of Biostatistics, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Christoph WelschDepartment of Internal Medicine 1, Frankfurt Hospital Consortium, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Stijn van HeesDepartment of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital Antwerp, Edegem, Belgium.
Orlando CerrhociFrancis Family Liver Clinic, Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Johannes VermehrenDepartment of Internal Medicine 1, Frankfurt Hospital Consortium, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Robert J de KnegtDepartment of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Bettina E HansenDepartment of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Stefan ZeuzemDepartment of Internal Medicine 1, Frankfurt Hospital Consortium, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Thomas VanwolleghemDepartment of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital Antwerp, Edegem, Belgium.
Harry L A JanssenDepartment of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Robert A de ManDepartment of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Jordan J FeldFrancis Family Liver Clinic, Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Adriaan J van der MeerDepartment of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands a.vandermeer@erasmusmc.nl.
Erasmus MC · NLGoethe University Frankfurt · DEAntwerp University Hospital · BEToronto Liver Centre · CAMerck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA (United States) · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND

aimsHistorical paired liver biopsy studies are likely to underestimate current progression of disease in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. We aimed to assess liver disease progression according to the non-invasive Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index in patients with chronic HCV and early disease. METHODS AND

resultsPatients diagnosed with chronic HCV and FIB-4 <3.25 from four international liver clinics were included in a retrospective cohort study. Follow-up ended at start of antiviral therapy resulting in sustained virological response, at time of liver transplantation or death. Primary outcome of advanced liver disease was defined as FIB-4 >3.25 during follow-up. Survival analyses were used to assess time to FIB-4 >3.25.In total, 4286 patients were followed for a median of 5.0 (IQR 1.7-9.4) years, during which 41 071 FIB-4 measurements were collected. At baseline, median age was 47 (IQR 39-55) years, 2529 (59.0%) were male, and 2787 (65.0%) patients had a FIB-4 <1.45. Advanced liver disease developed in 821 patients. Overall, 10-year cumulative incidence of advanced disease was 32.1% (95% CI 29.9% to 34.3%). Patients who developed advanced disease showed an exponential FIB-4 increase. Among patients with a presumed date of HCV infection, cumulative incidence of advanced disease increased 7.7-fold from 20 to 40 years as opposed to the first 20 years after HCV infection.

conclusionsThe rate of advanced liver disease is high among chronic HCV-infected patients with early disease at time of diagnosis, among whom liver disease progression accelerated over time. These results emphasise the need to overcome any limitations with respect to diagnosing and treating all patients with chronic HCV across the globe.

Indexed as

Hepatitis CHepatitis C, ChronicDisease ProgressionFemaleHumansLiver CirrhosisMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesCLINICAL DECISION MAKINGHEPATIC FIBROSISHEPATITIS C

Identifiers

PMID38637963
PMCPMC10711888
OpenAlexW4389485404

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.