A Cross-Sectional Study to Evaluate the Prevalence and Distribution of MASLD using Vibration-Controlled Transient Elastography in the General Population

Abstract Background: The increasing prevalence of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) has plagued the general population of the world, which has revised the nomenclature of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Transient elastography is one of the key screening methods for MASLD to evaluate the presence of fat and fibrosis in the liver. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional, observational study performed at the single diabetology center of Ahmedabad, in participants aged 18 years and above, and having any one cardio-metabolic risk factors of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), hypertension, dyslipidemia, or obesity. Their lipid, sugar, and transient elastography parameters; controlled attenuation parameter (CAP), and liver stiffness measurement (LSM) were recorded. Results: In data of 141 participants, the presence of co-morbid conditions such as obesity (80.14%) was most common, followed by T2DM in 45.4%, while 79.5% had steatosis (> S0) and 27.6% had fibrosis (> F0/F1). Co-morbid conditions like higher weight and history of myocardial infarction (MI) were the major risk factors associated with increased CAP score, whereas higher weight and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were the risk factors for increased LSM values. Fibrosis index-4 score has a poor correlation with the LSM and CAP score individually. Conclusion: The distribution of liver fibrosis and steatosis assessed using the CAP and LSM score, in MASLD individuals, is prevalent among patients with a history of MI and excess weight; while higher HbA1c is significantly associated with LSM score only.