Serum YKL-40 (Chitinase-3-Like Protein 1) Compared to APRI and FIB-4 in Predicting Liver Fibrosis in Children with Chronic Hepatitis C

Background: Liver fi brosis is a critical factor for the treatment policy and its outcome in chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Although liver biopsy represents the gold standard for evaluating fi brosis, it remains an invasive procedure with inherent risks. Thus, it cannot be performed frequently to monitor therapeutic outcomes specially in the pediatric population. For that, developing a non-invasive test that can predict liver fi brosis represents a growing medical need.