Significance of protein bound sialic acid in alcoholic liver disease

Abstract

Alcoholic liver disease is a term that encompasses the hepatic manifestations of alcohol overconsumption, including fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, and chronic hepatitis with hepatic fibrosis or cirrhosis. Fatty liver is present in >90% of binge and chronic drinkers. A much smaller percentage of heavy drinkers will progress to alcoholic hepatitis, thought to be a precursor to cirrhosis. The prognosis of severe alcoholic liver disease is dismal; the mortality of patients with alcoholic hepatitis concurrent with cirrhosis is nearly 60% at 4 years, although alcohol is considered a direct hepatotoxin, only between 10 and 20% of alcoholics will develop alcoholic hepatitis.Present study is done to evaluate the level of protein bound sialic acid in alcoholic liver disease and to assess the utility of this parameter as prognostic indices of liver function. The present study was conducted in the Department of Biochemistry in collaboration with department of Medicine, Pt. B.D. sharma, P.G.I.M.S, Rohtak. A total of 100 subjects were included in the present study. Subjects were divided into two groups. Group I was study group and Group II was control group. Study group included clinically diagnosed cases of alcoholic liver diseases supported with serological tests, ultrasonogram in the age group of 25-60 years. Control group included 50 age and sex matched healthy individual. On statistical comparison; we found highly significantly raised sialic acid in group I as compared to group II.