Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which is characterized by lipid being deposited into hepatocytes, affects nearly one in three adults globally. Inflammatory markers were suggested to be related with hepatic steatosis. Uric acid to HDL cholesterol ratio is proposed as a novel inflammatory and metabolic marker. We aimed to compare Uric acid to HDL cholesterol ratio levels of patients with Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease to those of healthy controls and find out potential correlations between Uric acid to HDL cholesterol ratio and other inflammatory and metabolic markers of Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Patients with a diagnosis of Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease who were on clinical follow-up in our institution were enrolled in the study as the Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease group, while healthy volunteers were enrolled as the control group. The Uric acid to HDL cholesterol ratio of the groups was compared and potential correlations were studied between Uric acid to HDL cholesterol ratio and fasting blood glucose, transaminases, serum lipids (triglyceride, LDL-cholesterol), weight, and body mass index. The Uric acid to HDL cholesterol ratio of the Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (13±5%) group was significantly higher compared to the Uric acid to HDL cholesterol ratio of the control (10±4%) group (p<0.001). Uric acid to HDL cholesterol ratio was significantly and positively correlated with fasting blood glucose, transaminases, triglyceride, body weight, waist circumference, hip circumference, and body mass index. A ROC analysis revealed that a Uric acid to HDL cholesterol ratio level greater than 9.6% has 73% sensitivity and 51% specificity in determining Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Due to the inexpensive and easy-to-assess nature of Uric acid to HDL cholesterol ratio, we suggest that elevated Uric acid to HDL cholesterol ratio levels be considered a useful tool in diagnosing hepatic steatosis.
1 June 2022 in Revista da Associação Médica Brasileira
Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is one of the most important health problems affecting the significant rate of world population and it may lead to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. C-reactive protein to lymphocyte count ratio (CLR) is used in estimating inflammatory burden. Therefore, this study aimed to compare CLR values between CHC patients and healthy controls and between CHC patients with and without fibrosis. Patients with CHC infection who visited outpatient and inpatient internal medicine clinics of our institution between January 2021 and December 2021 were enrolled to this retrospective study. CLR of the patients with CHC and healthy controls were compared. We further compared CLR of CHC patients with and without fibrosis. Median CLR of CHC and control subjects was 2.61 (5.13%) and 0.31 (0.37%), respectively. CLR of the CHC group was significantly increased compared to the CLR of the controls (p<0.001). There was a significant positive correlation between CLR and APRI score (r=0.15, p=0.04). The sensitivity and specificity of CLR in determining CHC above 0.58% level were 84% and 82%, respectively (AUC: 0.884, p<0.001, 95%CI 0.84–0.93). In subgroup analysis, CLR was 3.97 (6.6%) for CHC patients with fibrosis and 1.7 (4.4%) for CHC subjects without fibrosis (p=0.001). Increased CLR in patients with CHC may be an alarming finding of liver fibrosis, as CLR is associated with both CHC and hepatic fibrosis.
Hypertension (HT) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The efficacy of the treatment in HT patients is mostly depending on the office or home blood pressure monitoring. Triglyceride to high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol ratio (THR) is an inflammatory and metabolic predictor. We aimed to compare THR levels of the HT patients with poorly controlled blood pressure levels to those with well‐controlled hypertensive subjects. In present cross sectional study, we grouped patients with HT either as well or poorly controlled hypertensive subjects according to the blood pressure measurement. THR of the groups compared. The THR of the poorly controlled HT group (3.9 [1.91–88.7]%) was significantly higher than the THR of the well‐controlled HT group (3.07 [0.71–35.8]%), (p < .001). The sensitivity and specificity of THR higher than 3.26% in predicting poor blood pressure control were 72% and 52%, respectively (AUC: 0.64, p <.01, %95 CI: %59–70). High THR levels in HT patients may warrant closer monitorization of blood pressure since it may predict poor blood pressure control in this population.
Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a leading cause of ICU admissions, with significant morbidity and mortality. Traditional risk stratification tools, such as CURB-65, the pneumonia severity index (PSI), and computed tomography severity scores (CT-SS) are widely used for prognosis but could be improved by incorporating novel biomarkers. This retrospective study evaluated the fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio (FAR) as an additional predictor of 30-day mortality in ICU patients with CAP. A total of 158 CAP patients admitted to a tertiary care ICU were included. Baseline data encompassed demographic, clinical, laboratory, and radiological parameters, including FAR, CURB-65, PSI, and CT-SS. Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analyses were conducted to assess mortality predictors. The 30-day mortality rate was 70.88% (112/158). Higher FAR, PSI, CURB-65, CT-SS, and lactate levels were independently associated with increased mortality (P < 0.05). FAR demonstrated strong discriminatory power (area under the receiver operating characteristic [AUROC]: 0.704) and significantly improved the predictive accuracy of established models. Adding FAR to PSI increased the AUROC from 0.705 to 0.791 (P = 0.009), while combining FAR, CT-SS, and PSI yielded the highest predictive accuracy (AUROC: 0.844, P = 0.032). These findings suggest that FAR, which reflects both inflammation and nutritional status, complements traditional risk assessment tools by providing a dynamic perspective. Integrating FAR into existing models enhances the identification of high-risk patients, enabling timely interventions and more efficient resource allocation in the ICU.
Introduction: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) prevalence data in Türkiye is limited. We aimed to determine the nationwide prevalence of MASLD and advanced hepatic fibrosis risk in subjects with cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRF). Despite recent international consensus redefining fatty liver disease terminology, no nationwide MASLD study has been reported in Türkiye. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 14,371 adults with ≥1 CMRF from 44 centers across 31 cities. MASLD was diagnosed using liver ultrasonography plus cardiometabolic criteria. Advanced fibrosis risk was assessed by fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) score (≥1.3 for ≤65 years; ≥2.0 for >65 years). Logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors of high FIB-4. Results: A total of 61.4% of participants were women, the mean age was 51.3 ± 14.4 years, and the mean BMI was 31.4 ± 6.0 kg/m2. MASLD prevalence was 75.7% (n = 10,873), rising with the number of CMRFs (56.5% with one factor vs. 83.4% with all). The prevalence of high FIB-4 scores was 12.0% overall, being lower in MASLD patients than non-MASLD patients (11.2% vs. 14.4%, p < 0.001). FIB-4 scores decreased with increasing BMI (28.1% underweight vs. 8.7% class III obesity). Male sex, T2DM, and hypertension independently predicted high FIB-4 scores, while smoking, higher BMI, and MASLD were inversely associated. Conclusions: Three-quarters of Turkish adults with CMRF have MASLD. Standard FIB-4 thresholds may underestimate fibrosis risk in obese and smoking populations, underscoring the need for adjusted cut-offs or alternative tools. This study is the first to provide nationwide MASLD prevalence data in Türkiye.
Evaluating disease severity and predicting adverse outcomes using various risk prediction tools in early disease stages is essential to reduce sepsis-related mortality. Unfortunately, there is still no clear consensus on the best score. The present study aimed to develop and validate a multivariable risk prediction model for 30-days mortality by combining the lactate-to-albumin (L/A) ratio, Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS), and quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) in sepsis patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). This retrospective study included ICU patients with suspected sepsis. We computed L/A ratio, MEWS, and qSOFA within 24 hours of ICU admission. Patients were followed until either death/hospital discharge or 30 days, whichever came first. The predictive performance of each scoring system and their combinations was assessed using logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curve analyses. A total of 130 patients with sepsis admitted to the ICU were included in the study. The mortality rate was 63.07% (82/130). A higher L/A ratio, MEWS, and qSOFA were found to be associated with mortality in ICU sepsis patients. A statistically significant difference in terms of predicting mortality was demonstrated in the pairwise comparison after combining the L/A ratio with both the qSOFA and MEWS (difference between areas: −0.098, P = .011 and difference between areas: −0.098, P = .013 respectively). Mortality models combining L/A ratio with selected clinical variables have improved mortality prediction performance compared with models that use MEWS and qSOFA alone. The L/A ratio at ICU admission provide valuable prognostic information for predicting 30-days mortality in sepsis patients. Combining these ratio with MEWS and qSOFA improves the accuracy of predicting mortality in patients with sepsis.