title: Noninvasive predictors for liver fibrosis in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate certain anthropometric, clinical and laboratory features indicating liver fibrosis in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and to establish the noninvasive markers for liver fibrosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty-one patients (40 male, 41 female) who were diagnosed with fatty liver by ultrasonographic examination and fulfilled the inclusion criteria participated in the study. Anamnesis, anthropometric, clinical and laboratory features of all cases were recorded and then liver biopsy was performed after obtaining patient consent. Steatosis, necroinflammation and liver fibrosis were examined according to age ≥ 45, gender, body mass index, central obesity, aspartate aminotransferase (AST)/alanine aminotransferase (ALT) > 1, γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT)/ALT > 1, platelet count, insulin, c-peptide levels and the presence of hypertension, diabetes, hypertriglyceridemia and insulin resistance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eighty-one patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) enrolled in the study. 69 of 81 patients were diagnosed with NASH, 11 were diagnosed with simple fatty liver and 1 was diagnosed with cirrhosis. AST/ALT > 1, GGT/ALT > 11, high serum ferritin and fasting insulin levels, the presence of diabetes, hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia and insulin resistance seemed to enhance the severity of steatosis, necroinflammation and fibrosis but these results were not statistically significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Liver steatosis and fibrosis can occur in individuals with normal weight. There was no significant concordance between severity of liver histology and the presence of predictors for liver fibrosis including metabolic risk factors.
authors.affiliation: Hüseyin Saadettin Uslusoy, Selim Giray Nak, Macit Gülten, Department of Gastrenterology, İzmit Seka State Hospital, Kocaeli 41000, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hüseyin Saadettin
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Uslusoy
authors.forename: Selim Giray
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Nak
authors.forename: Macit
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gülten