High-sensitivity C-reactive protein is a strong predictor of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a clinical term that covers simple fatty liver (SFL) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is a marker of inflammation. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between steatosis and hs-CRP in patients with ultrasonographically verified NAFLD.

We examined 296 consecutive patients. NAFLD was detected by ultrasound (US). Patients with NAFLD who had an alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level of > 40 IU/mL were considered to have NASH and those with normal liver function test results were considered to have SFL. Patients who did not have NAFLD constituted the control group. The SFL, NASH and control groups were compared in terms of hs-CRP levels.

Of 296 patients, 86 had normal hepatic US findings and 210 had hepatosteatosis. Hs-CRP levels were higher in patients with NAFLD as compared to the control group (0.68 mg/ dL vs. 0.34 mg/dL, respectively; P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between patients with SFL and NASH in terms of hs-CRP levels (P > 0.05). Logistic regression analysis revealed that hs-CRP was a strong predictor of NAFLD (odds ratio: 6.04; 95% confidence interval: 2.08-17.74).

hs-CRP can be used as a non-invasive marker of NAFLD as it was found to be a strong predictor of NAFLD in this study.