A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE VARIABLE EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL AND NON-ALCOHOL-RELATED FATTY LIVER DISEASE ON METABOLIC AND INFLAMMATORY BIOMARKERS

Abstract

Steatotic liver disease (SLD) includes a spectrum of liver situations together with alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) and metabolic dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), representing a growing global health. The current gold standard for diagnosing SLD is a liver biopsy, which, despite its accuracy, is invasive, highly- expensive, and carries the risk of headaches. Other imaging techniques and traditional liver feature assessments fall short of accurately diagnosing and staging SLD. Consequently, there's an urgent need for non-invasive biomarkers that can appropriately diagnose, stage, and prognosticate SLD.

Objectives: To evaluate the ranges of pentraxin-3 (PTX3) and the triglyceride-glucose (TYG) index, compare those markers among ALD, MASLD, and wholesome controls along liver enzymes, and compare their diagnostic application in distinguishing ALD from MASLD.

Materials and methods: A case-management study was carried out inside the Digestive System and Liver Department of the Medical City in Baghdad from November 2023 to January 2024. The study covered 124 participants: 20 with ALD, 50 with MASLD, and fifty-four healthy controls. Serum degrees of alanine transaminase (ALT), γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), PTX3, TYG index, and diverse lipid profiles have been measured.

Results: The effects show huge variations among ALD and MASLD in terms of liver enzymes, PTX3, TYG index, and lipid profiles. Elevated PTX3 and TYG index tiers in ALD endorse improved irritation and lipid metabolism abnormalities, differentiating it from MASLD.

Conclusion: PTX-3 and the TyG index come to be promising non-invasive biomarkers for diagnosing and distinguishing ALD and MASLD from wholesome controls.