A revolutionary study carried out by researchers from the University of California in San Francisco (United States) has revealed that a blood test may be a more reliable indicator of liver disease than asking patients about their alcohol consumption.
This novel technique, which uses the biomarker phosphatidylethanol (PEth), could help doctors in Spain and around the world intervene in time to prevent more serious damage to the liver.
Liver damage from excessive alcohol consumption
Excessive alcohol consumption is known for its ability to damage the liver, but unlike other risk factors such as obesity or high cholesteroldoctors often rely on patients’ self-reports to assess their alcohol intake. However, this method is not always reliable, since people may minimize or not remember accurately how much they have actually drunk. This is where the blood test proposed by the researchers comes into play.
By using the PEth biomarker, Doctors Could Get a Clearer Picture of Liver Fibrosis Riska condition characterized by the buildup of scar tissue in the liver. Dr. Judy Hahn, professor in the Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine at UCSF, emphasizes the importance of this direct approach: “We don’t ask someone how much fatty food they eat. We measure their cholesterol. We don’t ask them how much they think they weigh. We weigh them.” .
Comparison between PEth and self-reports
In the study, which included more than 4000 participants from the United States, Russia, Uganda and South Africa, The researchers compared PEth and self-reports of alcohol consumption with Fibrosis 4 (FIB-4), an indicator of liver disease risk. The results were conclusive: while PEth closely followed FIB-4, the correlation between self-reported consumption and FIB-4 was much weaker. This suggests that people tend to underestimate or not accurately remember their alcohol intake.
The importance of early detection
Liver fibrosis can be slowed or even reversed if detected early by limiting alcohol consumption and improving diet. Therefore, it is crucial to identify the disease before it progresses to more serious stages, such as cirrhosis, liver failure or liver cancer. Dr. Pamela Murnane, lead author of the study, highlights: “To prevent and treat liver fibrosis, we need to know how much a person drinks. Clearly we don’t know this well from self-reports.”
To prevent and treat liver fibrosis, we need to know how much a person drinks
The study authors suggest that, in the future, PEth screening could be included along with other routine blood tests, such as cholesterol and blood sugar. This practice would allow doctors in Spain and around the world to more effectively identify patients at risk of alcohol-related liver disease and provide them with the necessary support to improve their health and quality of life.