Serum golgi protein-73 (GP-73) in children with autoimmune hepatitis.

UNLABELLED: To assess the correlation between serum Golgi protein-73 (GP-73) and the degree of hepatic fibrosis in children with autoimmune liver diseases. This case-control study included 100 children. Group A involved 50 children with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), aged 2-17 years (mean 11.3 ± 2.7 years), while Group B included 50 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. All participants underwent clinical assessment, abdominal ultrasonography, laboratory investigations, and measurement of serum GP-73 using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Children with AIH had significantly higher serum GP-73 levels than controls (median 110.7 ng/L vs. 21.3 ng/L, p < 0.001). GP-73 levels showed a strong positive correlation with both the histological activity index (r = 0.879, p < 0.001) and the stage of fibrosis (r = 0.647, p < 0.001). At a cutoff level > 49 ng/L, GP-73 distinguished AIH cases with 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity. For identifying severe fibrosis, a cutoff > 124.6 ng/L yielded 100% sensitivity and 91.7% specificity (area under the ROC curve = 0.995, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION: Serum GP-73 levels are significantly elevated in children with autoimmune hepatitis and correlate strongly with both histological grading and staging. GP-73 may serve as a reliable non-invasive marker for assessing disease severity and guiding clinical management in pediatric autoimmune liver diseases.

WHAT IS KNOWN: • Non-invasive biomarkers for assessing liver fibrosis in children with autoimmune hepatitis are still limited, and liver biopsy remains the gold standard despite its risks.

WHAT IS NEW: • Serum GP-73 is significantly elevated in pediatric AIH, strongly correlates with fibrosis severity, and may serve as a reliable non-invasive biomarker.