Correlation between metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease and liver fibrosis based on Fibrotouch.

Objective: The study aimed to investigate the correlation between metabolic dysfunctionassociated fatty liver disease and liver fibrosis based on Fibrotouch. Methods: During the years 2015-2018, a total of 401 patients with fatty liver diagnosed by imaging and met the diagnostic criteria of MAFLD, examined by transient elastography (TE) were enrolled in the Department of Hepatology of the Traditional Chinese Medical Hospital Affiliated to Xinjiang Medical University. The patients were classified into 4 MAFLD subgroups: MAFLD lean/normal weight group (n=25), MAFLD overweight group (n=52), MAFLD obese group (n=249) and MAFLD diabetic (MAFLD-DM) group (n=75), according to their body mass index (BMI) with or without diabetes mellitus (DM). Fasting plasma glucose (FPG), glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), liver and kidney function, blood lipid, routine blood test, liver stiffness value (LSM), controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) and so on, were collected. A variety of noninvasive hepatic fibrosis indexes such as NAFLD fibrosis score (NFS), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) to platelet (PLT) ratio index (APRI), diabetes score (BARD) and fibros-4 index (FIB-4) were used to evaluate the risk of hepatic fibrosis, comparing the general information, biochemical indicators and non-invasive liver fibrosis indicators among them. Whether accompanied with liver fibrosis or not. The patients were divided into MAFLD group and MAFLD liver fibrosis group Univariate analysis and multivariate Logsitics regression analysis were performed to analyze the correlation between MAFLD and liver fibrosis. Results: Systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), PLT, AST, alanyl aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C), albumin (A lb), APRI, FIB-4, hyperlipidemia, history of lipid-regulating drugs, and history of viral hepatitis (hepatitis B and hepatitis C) were not statistically significant. Age, sex, body mass index (BMI), triglyceride (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), creatinine (Cr), uric acid (UA), FPG, HbA1c, NFS score, BARD score, LSM, CAP, diabetes mellitus, hypoglycemic or antihypertensive drug use history, drinking history, smoking history were statistically significant. The proportion of significant and advanced liver fibrosis in MAFLDobese group and MAFLD-DM group was significantly higher than other two groups. Increased BMI, CAP, and APRI scores were associated with an increased risk of liver fibrosis in MAFLD by univariate and multivariate analyses. Conclusion: BMI, CAP and APRI score are risk factors for the progression of liver fibrosis in MAFLD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]