Diagnostic Value of Acyl-Ghrelin in Type 2 Diabetic Patients with Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become the most leading cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is described as one of the most significant risk factors for developing NAFLD, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, and advanced cirrhosis. The high incidence of NAFLD in T2DM patients, as well as its serious clinical consequences, is both reasons for concern. Therefore, it is becoming critically needed to develop simple, low-cost, and noninvasive test for diagnosis and management of NFLD. Accordingly, the objective of this study was to examine the diagnostic value of acyl ghrelin (AG) for detecting NAFLD in T2D patients. AIM: The aim of this study is to examine the accuracy of AG as a non-invasive biomarker to effectively diagnose diabetic patients with NAFLD. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 61 patients with T2D were selected from internal medicine outpatient clinic in National Research Centre, Egypt. 29 diabetic patients were free of NAFLD while the other 32 were diagnosed with NAFLD. Measurements of Lipid profile, fasting glucose, liver enzyme activities, and AG levels were collected. Data management and analysis were performed using SPSS version 20. RESULTS: A comparison between diabetic subjects with and without NAFLD showed some metabolic abnormalities including central obesity, significant increases in waist circumference, body weight, fasting blood sugar, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein, liver enzymes levels, and a significant decrease in high-density lipoprotein in diabetic with NAFLD patients. Increases in total cholesterol and AG levels were observed; however, none of these differences were significant when compared with control diabetic subjects. CONCLUSIONS: The association between elevated AG level and NAFLD is clearly supported by the current findings. However, more studies are needed to consider it as diagnostic marker in NAFLD patients with T2D.