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Prevalence of hepatic steatosis and fibrosis in apparently healthy airline pilots: a transient elastography study
1Studio Minoretti, Oggiono (LC), Italy;Department of Legal Medicine, Psychiatry and Pathology, School of Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
2Department of Legal Medicine, Psychiatry and Pathology, School of Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
32E Science, Via Monte Grappa 13, I-27038 Robbio (PV), Italy
Hepatology Forum 2024; 5(1): 7-10 DOI: 10.14744/hf.2023.2023.0050 PMCID: PMC10809345
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Abstract

Background and Aim: Airline pilots (APs) are often characterized by a sed-entary lifestyle, predisposing them to adverse cardiometabolic consequences. In this cross-sectional study, we used transient elastography (TE) to investigate the prevalence of hepatic steatosis and fibrosis among apparently healthy APs.
Material and Methods: The study cohort consisted of 137 male APs of Caucasian descent who voluntarily underwent TE. To evaluate the extent and severity of hepatic steatosis and fibrosis, we employed established cut-off values for the controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) and liver stiffness measurement (LSM).
Results: Of the APs, 34 (24.8%) were diagnosed with TE-defined steato-sis. Specifically, 25 APs (18.2%) exhibited mild steatosis, 6 (4.4%) mod-erate steatosis, and 3 (2.2%) severe steatosis. The majority of participants (80 APs or 58.4%) showed no signs of liver fibrosis based on LSM values. However, 49 APs (35.8%) were diagnosed with mild fibrosis (F1), 7 (5.1%) with significant fibrosis (F2), and one (0.7%) with advanced fibrosis (F3). None of the pilots had F4 (cirrhosis). In multivariable linear regression analysis, BMI was the sole independent predictor of both CAP (β=0.34, p<0.001) and LSM (β=0.41, p<0.001) values in our sample of male APs.
Conclusion: TE is a straightforward and convenient non-invasive meth-od for detecting hepatic steatosis and fibrosis in high-risk occupational groups such as APs.