Investigation of hemogram and biochemistry parameters in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Abstract

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is primarily characterized by the buildup of triglycerides in the hepatocytes. The present study sought to compare the hemogram and biochemistry parameters of patients with different grades of hepatic steatosis (HS) detected in abdominal ultrasonography (USG) examinations with the healthy control group. Patients who sought treatment at the internal medicine outpatient clinic for various causes and underwent abdominal USG were included in the study. According to USG results, participants were subdivided into four groups based on their HS grade 0-1-2-3. The mean age and gender distributions of the groups were not statistically different (p=0.306 and p=0.457, respectively). There was no statistical difference between the groups in terms of smoking status (p=0.344). It was determined that the prevalence of obesity, DM and HT increased as the HS grade increased (p<0.001, p=0.015, p<0.001). Mean platelet volume (MPV), atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), and fasting triglyceride levels were significantly different between the groups (p=0.012, p=0.008, and p=0.003, accordingly). Uric acid, uric acid albumin ratio (UAR), and AIP values and HS grade were positively and significantly correlated (p=0.036 r=0.276, p=0.024 r=0.294, and p=0.013 r=0.308, accordingly). When we considered HS grade as the dependent variable, the UAR value predicted HS grade positively and significantly according to linear regression analysis (p=0.008, Beta=0.387). According to the ROC curve analysis, UAR was found to be the most significant in the diagnosis of NAFLD (sensitivity 67%, specificity 64%, cut-off value:1.05). From a practical point of view, healthcare professionals need to be alerted that patients with co-existing hyperuricemia and elevated AIP are at greater risk of progressing to hepatic steatosis and, as a result, cardiovascular diseases. Additionally, our study confirms the need for more extensive longitudinal studies to understand the processes contributing to the relationship between UAR, AIP, and NAFLD. UAR value can be used as an easily accessible marker that can be used to show fatty liver. Future studies can examine the influence of reducing uric acid levels on the fatty liver.