Spleen stiffness to liver stiffness ratio significantly differs between ALD and HCV and predicts disease-specific complications

Abstract

Herein, we show that patients with hepatitis C virus infection (HCV) have higher spleen stiffness and portal pressure than patients with alcohol-related liver disease (ALD), within the same fibrosis stage and matched to liver stiffness. Thus, the spleen stiffness to liver stiffness ratio is significantly higher in patients with HCV compared to ALD. Additionally, patients with HCV more commonly progress to portal hypertension-related complications (<i>e.g.</i> variceal bleeding), while patients with ALD more commonly progress to liver failure (<i>e.g.</i> jaundice). The spleen stiffness to liver stiffness ratio is a useful tool to confirm disease etiology and predict disease-specific complications.