Abstract
BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are closely related conditions. AIM: This study investigated a group of individuals with NAFLD to evaluate if liver fibrosis, identified by FibroScan, correlated with T2DM. METHODS: 154 NAFLD patients obtained FibroScan, liver ultrasonography (US), and a thorough assessment of clinical implications and chemical biomarkers. RESULTS: In comparison to the NAFLD without T2DM group, the hemoglobin A1c(HBA1c)(mmol/mol%), homeostasis model of assessment for insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), fibrosis indices, and liver stiffness measurement (LSM) values were all considerably higher in the NAFLD with T2DM group. Patients with NAFLD and T2DM had considerably lower serum uric acid(SUA) levels than those with NAFLD alone.Those with severe fibrosis (79.3%, 23/29) in the NAFLD group showed a greater frequency of T2DM than those with mild fibrosis (45.6%, 21/46) or no fibrosis (27.85%, 22/79) (P=0.000). LSM value and elements of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) were independent risk factors for incident T2DM among NAFLD patients (OR=1.466, 95% CI [1.139-1.888], P=0.003; and OR=0.273, 95% CI [0.081-0.916], P=0.036). CONCLUSION: FibroScan can identify significant fibrosis, which is independently linked to a higher prevalence of T2DM. As a result, it is crucial to make use of this technology to predict T2DM in NAFLD patients.