Associations Between Systemic Inflammatory Markers, Metabolic Dysfunction, and Liver Fibrosis Scores in Patients with...

Area of Science:

• Hepatology
• Metabolic Diseases
• Inflammation Biology

Background:

• Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a growing global health concern.
• The role of systemic inflammation in MASLD progression is significant but not fully understood.
• Correlation between inflammatory markers and MASLD severity requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the association between key inflammatory markers (IL-6, TNF-α, hsCRP) and MASLD severity.
• To explore the relationship between these inflammatory markers and various metabolic indices.
• To assess the utility of inflammatory markers as predictors of fibrosis in early-stage MASLD.

Main Methods:

• 120 MASLD patients were recruited for a cross-sectional analysis.
• Non-invasive scoring systems (APRI, FIB-4, NAFLD fibrosis score, FAST, TE) were used to assess liver fibrosis.
• High-sensitivity ELISA quantified IL-6, TNF-α, and hsCRP levels; multivariate regressions were applied.

Main Results:

• Elevated levels of IL-6, TNF-α, and hsCRP were observed in MASLD patients.
• No significant correlations were found between inflammatory markers and liver fibrosis severity across all scoring systems.
• TNF-α and hsCRP showed distinct correlations with metabolic parameters like waist circumference, lipids, and WBC count.

Conclusions:

• Systemic inflammatory markers are dissociated from hepatic fibrosis severity in MASLD.
• Inflammatory markers demonstrate stronger associations with metabolic indices than fibrosis, limiting their use as fibrosis surrogates in early MASLD.
• Findings support a dual-pathway management approach for MASLD, addressing metabolic and hepatic aspects separately.