Assessment of Liver Involvement in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Basrah City, Iraq, Using FibroScan and...

Background Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a spectrum of liver diseases caused by the accumulation of fat in the liver, which can progress to fibrosis, cirrhosis, and primary liver cancer. Insulin resistance is a causative factor in the development of NAFLD. FibroScan, or transient elastography, is a noninvasive imaging technique for evaluating liver disease. Aim To use FibroScan for evaluating liver involvement in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients with some associated risk factors. Materials and methods A cross-sectional prospective study was conducted from February to August 2023 in the outpatient clinic of Basrah Gastroenterology and Hepatology Hospital. Data collection included demographic data, past medical history, and biochemical tests including fasting blood sugar (FBS), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and lipid profile (consisting of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), serum triglycerides, and total cholesterol), then, patients underwent FibroScan examination. Results The study included 50 patients with T2DM, of whom 23 (46%) were male and 27 (54%) were female. The mean age of the studied population was 47.72 ± 8.31 years, with a range of 28-64 years. The mean BMI was 28.44 ± 4.24, with most patients being either overweight or obese. The fibrosis score was 4.74 ± 1.02 kPa (stage 0), while the mean steatosis score was 282.88 ± 44.99 (grade III). Diastolic blood pressure (BP), serum ALT, and serum HDL level were the variables that showed statistically significant differences when compared according to the stages of steatosis measured by FibroScan, with p-values of 0.016, 0.048, and 0.028, respectively. Conclusion Some risk factors associated with diabetes, such as dyslipidemia, liver enzymes, and BP, are highly associated with the development of steatosis rather than fibrosis.