Assessing the Clinical Utility of Major Indices for Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in East Asian Populations

Overview

Journal Biomark Med

Specialties Biochemistry
General Medicine

Date 2023 Jul 14

PMID 37449859

Authors

Yiwei Hang

Christine Lee

Youssef M Roman

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is currently the most common form of chronic liver disease. The growing prevalence of NAFLD is strongly associated with the high incidence of metabolic syndrome. NAFLD affects as much as 19% of the US population with a disproportionate impact on minority racial groups such as Asian Americans. If not promptly managed, NAFLD may progress to more feared complications. Liver indices for NAFLD screening have been proposed but were often developed using study populations with different anthropometrics than patients of East Asian descent. This review compares the accuracy of five indices for NAFLD screening in Asian cohorts. The Fatty Liver Index performed well in multiple large-scale community studies, although other indices may be more suited for specific patient cohorts. This is important, as the utilization of liver indices could accelerate screening for NAFLD for early management and to reduce liver disease-related health disparities among Asian Americans.

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