Tansu Eris1 , Moomen Hassan1 , Yousra Hikal1 , Enas Sawah1 , Fatemeh Daneshgar1 , Ayse Gulsen Teker2 , Furkan Ozel2 , Nimet Emel Luleci2 , Eda Kaya3 , Yusuf Yilmaz4 2Department of Public Health, Marmara University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkiye
3Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Knappschaftskrankenhaus Bochum, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
4Liver Research Unit, Institute of Gastroenterology, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkiye; 5Department of Gastroenterology, Recep Tayyip Erdogan University School of Medicine, Rize, Turkiye
Abstract
Background and Aim: Chronic liver disease (CLD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide with a wide etiological spectrum. FibroScan® is used for follow-up of fibrosis and steatosis. This single-center study aims to review the distribution of indications by referral to FibroScan®.
Material and Methods: Demographic characteristics, CLD etiologies, and FibroScan® parameters of the patients who were referred to our tertiary care center between 2013 and 2021 were retrospectively evaluated.
Results: Out of 9345 patients, 4946 (52.93%) were males, and the median age was 48 [18–88] years. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) was the most common indication (N=4768, 51.02%), followed by hepatitis B (N=3194, 34.18%) and hepatitis C (N=707, 7.57%). Adjusting for age, sex, and CLD etiology, the results revealed that patients with older age (Odds ratio (OR)=2.908; confidence interval (CI)=2.597–3.256; p<0.001) and patients with hepatitis C (OR=2.582; CI=2.168–3.075; p<0.001), alcoholic liver disease (OR=2.019; CI=1.524–2.674, p<0.001), and autoimmune hepatitis (OR=2.138; CI=1.360–3.660, p<0.001) had increased odds of advanced liver fibrosis compared to NAFLD.
Conclusion: NAFLD was the most common indication for referral to FibroScan®.
