Alkole Bağlı Olmayan Karaciğer Yağlanmasında Transient Elastografi (FibroScan) Tekniğiyle Belirlenen Fibrozis Skoru ile Serum Vitamin B12 Arasındaki İlişkinin Araştırılması

Abstract Aim: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most frequent chronic liver disease. Because NAFLD is a complex disease, finding highly specific and sensitive biomarkers for diagnosis is very difficult. We investigated the possible relation between steatosis and fibrosis stages determined by FibroScan technique and serum vitamin B12 levels as a non-invasive biomarker in patients with NAFLD. Materials and Methods: A total of 129 patients (45.68±12.9 years of age, 29 females) with NAFLD and 50 healthy subjects (43.44±15.3 years of age, 21 females) were included in this study. FibroScan was performed in all patients for the staging of fatty liver fibrosis. Liver enzymes were also analyzed in addition to serum vitamin B12 and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. Results: There was no difference with respect to age and gender between NAFLD and control groups. The serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, gamma-glutamyl transferase, and CRP levels were significantly higher in the patients with NAFLD than the controls (p<0.05). On the contrary, serum vitamin B12 vitamin levels were lower in the patients with NAFLD, compared to the controls (352.8±125.2pg/mL vs 435.2±134.4, p<0.01). There was a significant difference in mean serum B12 vitamin levels between the control group (435.2±134.4pg/mL) and the NAFLD subgroups with fibrozis staged F0 and F3 (366.17±129.7pg/mL, 285.22±101pg/mL, p<0.01). Discussion and Conclusion: Serum vitamin B12 levels were found to be significantly low in the patients with NAFLD in comparison to the control group. This decline in serum vitamin B12 levels was even more prominent as hepatic inflammation and fibrosis stage increased (F0–F3), but not in advanced fibrosis stage (F4). Keywords: nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; fibrosis; FibroScan; liver; steatosis; vitamin B1