Fibrosis and steatosis in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients evaluated with transient elastography and controlled attenuation parameter

The aim of the study was to assess the severity of liver fibrosis and steatosis in a cohort of type 2 diabetic patients, using non-invasive Methods: Transient Elastography (TE) and Controlled Attenuation Parameter (CAP). Material and Method: The study included 704 type 2 diabetic patients prospectively randomized, evaluated in the same session by means of TE and CAP (FibroScan, EchoSens) to assess both liver fibrosis and steatosis. Reliable liver stiffness measurements (LSM) were defined as the median value of 10 LSM with an IQR/median 300 db/m. Results: Out of 704 diabetics screened we excluded those with associated viral hepatitis, those with an AUDIT-C score ≥ 8 and those with unreliable LSM. The final analysis included 485 subjects (54.3% women, mean age 60 ± 9.5; mean BMI = 31.6 ± 6.1 kg/m2) with reliable LSM. 32.1% of patients had obesity grade I, 17.9 % had obesity grade II and 8.9% had obesity grade III (IMC ≥ 40 kg/m2). Mild, moderate and severe steatosis by means of CAP was found in 15.6%, 15.6 % and 59.3% cases, respectively. The median CAP values of patients with mild, moderate and severe steatosis were 260 db/m, 287.5 db/m and 354 db/m. Clinically relevant fibrosis was detected by means of TE in 19.6% (95/485) of subjects. Conclusion: In our group, 59.3% of diabetic patients had severe steatosis by means of CAP. Regarding the liver fibrosis, we found that 19.6% of them had severe fibrosis (TE ≥ 10.1kPa), suggesting the need for further assessment.