POSSIBILITIES OF CLINICAL AND LABORATORY AND INSTRUMENTAL STUDIES IN NON – ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE
Keywords:
non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, clinical assessment, laboratory markers, ultrasound diagnostics, obesity, steatosis, elastographyAbstract
Introduction: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become a major global health concern in recent decades. Modern lifestyle factors such as unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes have contributed to the increasing prevalence of NAFLD. Early and accurate diagnosis using non-invasive methods, including clinical, laboratory, and imaging techniques, is essential in clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to assess the potential of clinical, laboratory, and instrumental methods in diagnosing different stages of NAFLD.
Methods: A prospective study was conducted on 120 patients with varying stages of NAFLD at the First Multidisciplinary Clinic of Samarkand State Medical University. The cohort included 55 men and 65 women aged 19 to 77 years. A control group of 25 healthy individuals with normal BMI (18–24.9) was also included. Diagnostic procedures involved history taking, physical examination, blood tests (ALT, AST, bilirubin, glucose, cholesterol), and gray-scale ultrasonography of the liver, evaluating size, echogenicity, sound conductivity, and vascular architecture.
Results: Among the 120 patients, 42.5% had grade I obesity, 30% had grade II, and 19.1% had grade III. Common symptoms included fatigue (50.8%), right upper quadrant discomfort (45%), decreased appetite (38.3%), and nausea (30.8%). Lab results showed elevated ALT, bilirubin, and cholesterol levels, particularly in advanced stages. Ultrasound revealed hepatomegaly in 20.8%, reduced sound transmission in 70%, poor visualization of liver and portal veins in 20%, and comorbid conditions like cholelithiasis (21.6%) and chronic pancreatitis (8.3%). Hepatosis staging via ultrasound identified 55 patients with stage I, 41 with stage II, and 24 with stage III. Ultrasound diagnostic accuracy reached 75% in detecting hepatic steatosis.
Discussion: Findings confirm that combined clinical, laboratory, and imaging approaches are effective for identifying and staging NAFLD. ALT and cholesterol elevation serve as early biochemical markers. While gray-scale ultrasound is informative, its sensitivity is limited in advanced hepatosis, suggesting the need for advanced technologies like elastography. Developing structured diagnostic algorithms can enhance early detection and optimize treatment strategies for patients with NAFLD.
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