VIBRATION-CONTROLLED TRANSIENT ELASTOGRAPHY FOR NON-INVASIVE SCREENING OF LIVER FIBROSIS AND STEATOSIS IN TURKISH PATIENTS WITH PSORIASIS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

AHSEN NİHAL AKSOY, BURAK HANCİ, MEHMET FURKAN BASKENT, EMİNE GUL UMUTLU, EDA NUR KUMAS, SULEYMAN UMİT EMANET, MEHMET OGUZ YALCİN, ZEYNEP DUZYOL, AYSE GULSEN TEKER, YUSUF YİLMAZ

Hepatology Forum - 2024;5(1):29-32

Marmara University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkiye;

 

Background and Aim: The prevalence of fibrosis and steatosis in patients with psoriasis, as determined by vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE), has not been evaluated in Turkiye to date. The present cross-sec-tional study aims to present the first systematic screening results, focusing on two primary objectives: 1) establishing the prevalence of fibrosis and steatosis, and 2) identifying independent predictors for liver stiffness mea-surement (LSM) and controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) values in this patient population. Material and methods: Patients were eligible for inclusion if they had a confirmed diagnosis of psoriasis by a qualified dermatologist based on characteristic signs and symptoms and histopathological examination, and had undergone VCTE for LSM and CAP measurements. Results: The diagnosis of severe fibrosis and cirrhosis – identified by LSM values of 10.0-13.9 and ≥14.0 kPa, respectively – was significantly preva-lent (7.0% and 10.1%, respectively) among a sizeable cohort of relatively young Turkish patients with psoriasis (n=328; mean age: 49.5±12.7 years). Additionally, severe steatosis, as diagnosed by VCTE and characterized by a CAP value exceeding 290 dB/m, was identified in up to 43.3% of patients. Although body mass index (BMI) was the only variable found to be an in-dependently associated with LSM, multivariable linear regression analysis failed to identify any statistically independent predictor of CAP values. Conclusion: The prevalence of hepatic fibrosis and steatosis in Turkish pa-tients with psoriasis is far from negligible, with BMI identified as an inde-pendent risk factor for fibrosis.