Simple Blood Analysis Can Predict Risk of Severe Liver Disease
A new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in the journal The BMJ, shows how a simple blood analysis can predict the risk of developing severe liver disease. The method may already start to be applied in primary care to enable the earlier detection of cirrhosis and cancer of the liver.
“These are diseases that are growing increasingly common and that have a poor prognosis if detected late,” says Rickard Strandberg, affiliated researcher at Karolinska Institutet’s Department of Medicine in Huddinge, who has developed the test with his departmental colleague Hannes Hagström. “Our method can predict the risk of severe liver disease within 10 years and is based on three simple routine blood tests.”
For the study, the researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and their colleagues in Finland evaluated how well the method can estimate the risk of severe liver disease. The model, which is called CORE, was produced with advanced statistical methods and is based on five factors: age, sex and levels of three common liver enzymes (AST, ALT and GGT), which are commonly measured during regular health checks.
A web-based calculator
Their aim has been to produce a tool that is easy to use in primary care, where most patients first seek medical attention. A web-based calculator is already available for doctors at http://www.core-model.com.
New risk score predicts liver cirrhosis risk
A new risk score, CORE, can predict the 10-year risk of liver cirrhosis in the general population, according to a study published in The BMJ. The CORE score utilizes routinely collected health data,making it a practical tool for identifying individuals at risk and perhaps enabling early intervention.
Researchers conducted a population-based cohort study to evaluate the CORE score’s performance. The findings suggest that the CORE score effectively identifies individuals who are likely to develop liver cirrhosis within a decade. this could lead to improved patient outcomes through targeted monitoring and treatment strategies.
More data: Use of new CORE risk score to predict 10 year risk of liver cirrhosis in general population: population based cohort study, The BMJ (2025). DOI: 10.1136/BMJ-2024-083182
2025/09/29 07:30:29