Relationship between liver fibrosis criteria and syndrome-type of TCM in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between the liver fibrosis criteria and TCM Syndrome, type in the patients suffering from non-alcoholic fatty liver. METHODS: Seventy-nine patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver diagnosed by B ultrasonography were classified by TCM Syndrome Differentiation and their liver fibrosis criteria was determined and compared with those of the health subjects as control. RESULTS: Levels of procollagen III (PCIII), hyaluronic acid (HA), collagen IV (CIV) and laminin (LN) in the fatty liver group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). In respect to the TCM Syndrome-types, PCIII, CIV and LN in patients of Phlegm-stasis combined type were significantly higher than those in patients of other two Syndrome-types (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), while HA was insignificantly different (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: There was trend of liver fibrosis in fatty liver patients. It was indicated that the Phlegm-stasis combined Syndrome-type possibly was the main TCM pathologic factor of the increasing of fibrosis criteria for non-alcoholic fatty liver.