The hepatitis C virus (HCV) epidemic in Egypt is unique in the  world as
there are many publications suggest that over 15% of the people in Egypt
are infected ,this is ten times greater than in any other country in the
world.Aim: To validate a simple ,inexpensive, non invasive markers (Fib-4, APRI,syndecan-1 and apolipoprotein A1(ApoA-1)) for detection of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C and thereby reduce the need for liver biopsy. Methods:
Estimation of  serum syndecan-1 and apoA-1 by ELISA were done on
57 chronic hepatitis C patients   and  20 normal healthy persons Results: The mean levels of plasma syndecan-1 were significantly higher in chronic HCV patients when
compared to control subjects.
Conclusion: Plasma Syndican-1 and laminin could serve as non-invasive
markers for detection of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis
C .