FIB-4 is closer to FibroScan screen results to detecting advanced liver fibrosis and maybe facilitates NAFLD warning

Abstract

To assess the relationship between clinical biochemical characteristics and steatosis or fibrosis by Fibroscan in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) patients in order to seek the simple effective screening method closed to the results of the fibroScan measurement. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 188 patients with NAFLD who underwent FibroScan examinations. Demographic data and clinical biochemical characteristics were collected and analyzed. The result showed elevated serum uric acid (SUA) (P = .023, odds ratio [OR = 1.005, 95% CI (1.001–1.009) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) (P = .000, OR = 4.549, 95%CI (1.974–10.484) were associated with severe steatosis (controlled attenuation parameter, CAP ≥ 300 dB/m). The magnitude of liver stiffness measured using FibroScan was positively correlated with aspartate transaminase/alanine aminotransferase (AST/ALT) ratio (R = 0.419, P = .000), AST to platelet ratio index (APRI) score (R = 0.309, P = .000), and Fibrosis-4 score (FIB-4) (R = 0.507, P = .000). The areas under the receiver operating curve (ROC) of AST/ALT, APRI, and FIB-4 for mild or severe fibrosis were 0.563, 0.696, and 0.728, respectively, and those for advanced fibrosis were 0.648, 0.750, and 0.821, respectively. The FIB-4 index cutoff value was 1.65 with a sensitivity of 68.3% and specificity of 89.8% during the diagnosis of advanced fibrosis. MetS and elevated SUA are associated with severe steatosis according to the CAP value screen, whereas FIB-4, as the fibrosis score method, is closer to the liver stiffness measurement results from FibroScan, which may facilitate early warning of NAFLD in the community or in remote areas.

Liver Stiffness Measurement is Useful in Predicting Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Among Nonalcohol Fatty Liver Disease Patients

“…17 While the LSM value was used to assess the level of fibrosis (F0, ≤5.9 kPa), mild fibrosis (F1,6-6.9kPa; F2,7-9kPa); and severe fibrosis (F3,9.1-10.3kPa; F4,≥10.4kPa), respectively. 18,19…”

Utility of quantitative analysis of 99mTc-GSA SPECT/CT in the evaluation of liver fibrosis: comparison with conventional assessment on planar images and its complementary diagnostic value with other liver function indices

“…The FIB-4 index is calculated from four parameters: age, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and platelet count. The FIB-4 index re ects liver brosis associated with viral hepatitis and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease [8][9][10]. Simple blood-based algorithms such as FIB-4 index are recommended in European guidelines as inexpensive rst-line tests in primary care [11,12].…”