Liver fibrosis evaluated by transient elastography in patients with type 2 diabetic patients, frequency of advanced fibrosis and parameters associated with liver fibrosis

Background & Aims: Patients with diabetes mellitus (type 2 DM) are at high risk for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD is a broad definition ranging from simple fatty liver and NASH to cirrhosis. Therefore, evaluation of liver fibrosis status of diabetic patients is very important. Liver biopsy is a gold standard method for evaluating liver fibrosis, but it is an invasive method. Transient Elastography (TE), which measures the liver stiffness, has been a widely used test to evaluate liver fibrosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the parameters associated with fibrosis levels and fibrosis levels evaluated by transient elastography in Type 2 diabetic patients. Material and Method: A total of 117 patients, 68 women(% 58.1) and 49 men (% 41.9) with type 2 diabetes were included in the study. The patients were evaluated with biochemical parameters, height, weight, waist circumference, upper abdomen ultrasound (USG) ve TE. Control values were observed at least 3 months later. Results: When the patients were included in the study, the relationship of all variables evaluated with the fibroscan-measured liver stiffness (kPa) was investigated. When changes in fibrosis were observed, changes in ALP(alkaline phosphatase), FPG(fasting plasma glukocose), HbA1c (glycated hemoglobin) were found to be related. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that HbA1c was the only variable associated with improvement in liver stiffness. Conclusion: Before and after all parameters were measured by multiple logistic regression analysis, the only variable associated with improvement in liver stiffness was HbA1c. Keywords: Tip 2 DM, NAFLD, NASH, Transient Elastography