Diagnostic Utility of Total Serum Sialic Acid in Alcoholic Liver Disease Patients with Cognitive Impairment

Author(s): Bharati V Nalgirkar*, Baidarbhi Chakraborty, Sanjeev Kale and Vivek V Nalgirkar

Abstract: Alcohol induced liver disease plays an important role in precipitating the cognitive impairment encountered in alcohol dependent patients and compounds the alcohol’s neurotoxic effects. Total serum level of Sialic acid (TSA) has been demonstrated to be the novel marker of Alcoholic liver disease. The metabolism of Sialic acid takes place in the liver and therefore the status of liver can influence the TSA levels. OBJECTIVE: The role of TSA as a marker of liver disease and its association with cognitive changes in alcohol induced liver disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 68 cases and 50 age matched healthy controls were recruited. These patients were further categorized into 3 groups; fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis and alcoholic cirrhosis. TSA levels were determined by Bio Vision’s Sialic acid assay kit. Result: The serum TSA levels (34.74±11.25nmol/μl) were significantly higher in the alcoholic liver disease than in the healthy controls (2.21±1.01nmol/ μl) significantly higher TSA levels were observed in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis (36.46 ± 7.66nmol/ μl, P<0.001) compared with alcoholic hepatitis (31.14 ± 9.69nmol/ μl, P<0.001) and alcoholic fatty liver (35.17 ± 10.9nmol/ μl, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Significantly elevated levels of TSA were observed in Alcoholic liver cirrhosis.

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