Modified FIB-4 Index in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus with Steatosis: A Non-Linear Predictive Model for Advanced Hepatic Fibrosis
Jonghyun Kim,
Takanori Ito,
Taeang Arai,
Masanori Atsukawa,
Miwa Kawanaka,
Hidenori Toyoda,
Takashi Honda,
Ming-Lung Yu,
Eileen L. Yoon,
Dae Won Jun,
Kyungjoon Cha,
Mindie H. Nguyen
Affiliations
Jonghyun Kim
Research Institute for Convergence of Basic Science, Department of Applied Statistics, College of Natural Sciences, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea
Takanori Ito
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Nagoya University Hospital, Nagoya 466-8560, Japan
Taeang Arai
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo 113-8602, Japan
Masanori Atsukawa
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo 113-8602, Japan
Miwa Kawanaka
Department of General Internal Medicine, Kawasaki Medical School General Medical Center, Okayama 700-8505, Japan
Hidenori Toyoda
Department of Gastroenterology, Ogaki Municipal Hospital, Ogaki 503-8502, Japan
Takashi Honda
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Nagoya University Hospital, Nagoya 466-8560, Japan
Ming-Lung Yu
Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
Eileen L. Yoon
Department of Internal Medicine, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea
Dae Won Jun
Department of Internal Medicine, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea
Kyungjoon Cha
Research Institute for Convergence of Basic Science, Department of Applied Statistics, College of Natural Sciences, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea
Mindie H. Nguyen
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Stanford University Medical Center, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
Background: The Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index is widely recommended as a first-tier method for screening advanced hepatic fibrosis; however, its diagnostic performance is known to be suboptimal in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We aim to propose a modified FIB-4, using the parameters of the existing FIB-4, tailored specifically for diabetic patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Methods: A total of 1503 patients who underwent liver biopsy were divided into T2DM (n = 517) and non-T2DM (n = 986) groups. The model was developed using multiple regression analysis in the derivation cohort and validated in the validation cohort. Diagnostic accuracy was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUC) curves. Results: Among the 1503 individuals, those with T2DM were older, more likely to be male, and had a higher prevalence of advanced hepatic fibrosis (≥F3) compared to non-T2DM individuals. Independent risk factors for advanced fibrosis in T2DM included age, AST, AST/ALT ratio, albumin, triglycerides, and platelet count. The optimized FIB-4 model for T2DM with MASLD (Diabetes Fibrosis Index) demonstrated superior diagnostic accuracy (AUC 0.771) compared to the FIB-4 (AUC 0.735, p = 0.012). The model showed a higher negative predictive value than the original FIB-4 across all age groups in the diabetic group. Conclusions: The newly optimized FIB-4 model for T2DM with MASLD (Diabetes Fibrosis Index), incorporating a non-linear predictive model, improves diagnostic performance (AUC) and the negative predictive value in MASLD with T2DM.
