Abstract
(1) Background: In order to avoid a liver biopsy in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), several noninvasive biomarkers have been studied lately. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the visceral adiposity index (VAI) in NAFLD and liver fibrosis, in addition to its accuracy in predicting NAFLD and NASH. (2) Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane Library, identifying observational studies assessing the VAI in NAFLD and liver fibrosis. QUADAS-2 was used to evaluate the quality of included studies. The principal summary outcomes were mean difference (MD) and area under the curve (AUC). (3) Results: A total of 24 studies were included in our review. VAI levels were significantly increased in NAFLD (biopsy-proven and ultrasound-diagnosed), simple steatosis vs. controls, and severe steatosis vs. simple steatosis. However, no significant MD was found according to sex, liver fibrosis severity, simple vs. moderate and moderate vs. severe steatosis, pediatric NAFLD, and NASH patients. The VAI predicted NAFLD (AUC 0.767) and NASH (AUC 0.732). (4) Conclusions: The VAI has a predictive value in diagnosing NAFLD and NASH, with significantly increased values in adult NAFLD patients, simple steatosis compared to controls, and severe steatosis compared to simple steatosis.
Highlights
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutralNonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a multi-system disease, being mainly a liver pathology involving excessive hepatic fat accumulation unrelated to alcohol consumption or other secondary causes of hepatic steatosis [1]
The visceral adiposity index (VAI) was able to discriminate between simple steatosis and controls, as well as severe steatosis and simple steatosis
We found no significant difference in VAI values between non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) patients and controls, as well as NASH patients and simple steatosis, we were able to assess its accuracy in predicting NASH, reporting an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.732
Summary
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a multi-system disease, being mainly a liver pathology involving excessive hepatic fat accumulation unrelated to alcohol consumption or other secondary causes of hepatic steatosis [1]. It is an emerging cause of concern and increasing clinical burden, imposing a public health challenge. NAFLD is the most common chronic liver disease and is predicted to be the most common indication for a liver transplant in Western countries by 2030, owing to a prevalence of 25% worldwide [2,3]. NAFLD is associated with extra-hepatic complications, including a significant increase in overall mortality from cardiovascular causes, as well as an increased incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) [7,8]
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