Progress and prospect of diagnosis and treatment of hepatic fibrosis by integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine therapy

In recent years,non-invasive methods for assessment of hepatic fibrosis have attracted more and more attention,and the application of non-invasive diagnostic techniques such as serum markers and transient elastography(Fibro Scan) for hepatic fibrosis is reviewed.Anti-fibrosis treatments should integrate etiological treatment,anti-inflammatory and liver-protecting therapy,and inhibiting the synthesis of extracellular matrix and degrading excessively deposited extracellular matrix.Antiviral treatment is the basis for resisting hepatic fibrosis due to chronic viral hepatitis.In this aspect,traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) has advantages in inhibiting the synthesis of extracellular matrix and degrading excessively deposited extracellular matrix,because it effects on multiple links,at multiple levels,and against multiple targets.So integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine therapy is a promising treatment strategy.However,the benefit of integrative therapy against hepatic fibrosis still needs to be supported by rigorously designed,multicenter,large-sample clinical studies,and the mechanism of anti-fibrosis TCM treatment deserves further studies.