Serum lipid profile as an indicator of disease severity in chronic liver disease: A hospital-based cross-sectional...

Chronic liver disease (CLD) is associated with significant metabolic alterations, particularly affecting lipid synthesis and regulation, making serum lipid levels potential indicators of disease severity. This cross-sectional, hospital-based study enrolled 120 adult CLD patients (≥18 years) of diverse etiologies, viral hepatitis B/C, alcoholic liver disease and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)-to evaluate associations between serum lipid parameters and liver dysfunction. Fasting total cholesterol, LDL, HDL and triglycerides were measured and composite lipid scores were derived and analyzed against Child-Pugh classification using ANOVA, correlation and chi-square tests. Total cholesterol, LDL and HDL significantly declined with increasing Child-Pugh class (p < 0.001; η² = 0.33-0.36), showing strong negative correlations with disease severity, whereas triglycerides decreased non-significantly (p = 0.072). The composite lipid score revealed robust discriminatory power (F = 68.2, p < 0.001, η² = 0.54) irrespective of gender or etiology. Thus, we show serum lipid profiling particularly composite lipid scoring as a practical and cost-effective adjunct for assessing CLD severity and prognosis, especially in resource-limited settings.