Psoas Muscle Index, Systemic Inflammation, and Liver Fibrosis in MAFLD: A Case-Control Study

Area of Science:

• Hepatology
• Metabolic Syndrome
• Biomarker Discovery

Background:

• Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a growing health concern.
• Identifying reliable biomarkers for MAFLD and its progression, such as hepatic fibrosis, is crucial.
• The role of muscle mass and metabolism in liver disease is increasingly recognized.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the psoas muscle index (PMI) as a potential biomarker for MAFLD.
• To assess the correlation between PMI and systemic inflammatory markers in MAFLD patients.
• To evaluate the diagnostic performance of PMI for MAFLD and hepatic fibrosis.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study included 80 MAFLD patients and 80 healthy controls.
• Abdominal CT scans were used to calculate PMI.
• Inflammatory markers (PLR, NLR, SII), FIB-4 scores, and ROC/logistic regression analyses were performed.

Main Results:

• MAFLD patients exhibited higher PMI and inflammatory indicators compared to controls.
• PMI significantly correlated with systemic inflammation markers (PLR, NLR, SII) and FIB-4 scores.
• PMI demonstrated diagnostic potential for MAFLD and hepatic fibrosis, particularly when combined with inflammatory markers.

Conclusions:

• PMI is a significant biomarker correlating with systemic inflammation and hepatic fibrosis in MAFLD.
• Combining PMI with inflammatory markers improves non-invasive screening for MAFLD and fibrosis.
• This study highlights the potential of muscle metabolism in MAFLD diagnosis and management.