A New Blood Test for Liver Disease: No More Biopsies?
Liver disease can go undetected for a long time. In fact, there are currently no simple ways to determine liver disease. While inflammation, intense itching of the skin, jaundice, bruising easily or bleeding easily can be indicators of a diseased liver, the only way to currently diagnose the disease is through a biopsy.
A liver biopsy is a minor surgery procedure that requires a small incision to the abdomen and a needle inserted into the liver to gather a tissue sample. Afterwards, the sample is studied under a microscope for disease and scarring.
The recovery time is short and most patients are discharged the same day, while being restricted in activities for about a week. Most people need to stay in bed for 8-12 hours after surgery. While a biopsy is only a minor surgery, it is still a surgery with a risk of infection, excessive bleeding and in some cases, accidental puncturing of the gallbladder or liver. Biopsy is also used to monitor a diseased liver and check for improvements and effectiveness of treatment.
Fortunately, there is a new blood test being studied to help monitor liver disease. While the blood test is only in the research phase, researchers are excited about the markers being licensed to companies that will hold clinical trials and diagnostic tests. The new blood test will only require one, single drop of blood and will only take six hours to develop the results. While that seems wonderful for those who currently need a biopsy to monitor their liver disease, researchers are currently working on a way to process the blood test in less than five minutes, so that patients can receive their results immediately.
The blood test was developed by researchers at Drexel Institute for Biotechnology and Virology Research. It works by measuring the antibodies and the amount of sugar on the antibodies that are present in the blood due to liver disease. This correlates with the levels of antibodies present during cirrhosis and fibrosis and can alert doctors to changes in the liver without a biopsy.
If the new blood test goes to market, patients can forgo minor surgery and replace it with a simple pin-prick to the finger.
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A liver biopsy is a minor surgery procedure that requires a small incision to the abdomen and a needle inserted into the liver to gather a tissue sample. Afterwards, the sample is studied under a microscope for disease and scarring.
The recovery time is short and most patients are discharged the same day, while being restricted in activities for about a week. Most people need to stay in bed for 8-12 hours after surgery. While a biopsy is only a minor surgery, it is still a surgery with a risk of infection, excessive bleeding and in some cases, accidental puncturing of the gallbladder or liver. Biopsy is also used to monitor a diseased liver and check for improvements and effectiveness of treatment.
Fortunately, there is a new blood test being studied to help monitor liver disease. While the blood test is only in the research phase, researchers are excited about the markers being licensed to companies that will hold clinical trials and diagnostic tests. The new blood test will only require one, single drop of blood and will only take six hours to develop the results. While that seems wonderful for those who currently need a biopsy to monitor their liver disease, researchers are currently working on a way to process the blood test in less than five minutes, so that patients can receive their results immediately.
The blood test was developed by researchers at Drexel Institute for Biotechnology and Virology Research. It works by measuring the antibodies and the amount of sugar on the antibodies that are present in the blood due to liver disease. This correlates with the levels of antibodies present during cirrhosis and fibrosis and can alert doctors to changes in the liver without a biopsy.
If the new blood test goes to market, patients can forgo minor surgery and replace it with a simple pin-prick to the finger.
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Labels: cirrhosis, liver biopsies, liver disease
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