P- 47 ACCURACY OF MAFLD-S SCORE TO DIAGNOSE HEPATIC STEATOSIS IN A GROUP OF APPARENTLY HEALTHY PEOPLE.

Introduction and Objectives

Non-invasive methods for diagnosing metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), like Fatty Liver Index (FLI) are gaining attention due to their potential to diagnose patients and reduce healthcare costs. A recent development in non-invasive diagnostics is the MAFLD-S score, which utilizes clinical data exclusively to predict MAFLD risk. This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of MAFLD-S to diagnose hepatic steatosis previously identified by transient elastography.

Materials and Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted. Transient elastography with controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) threshold of >268 dB/m was performed to measure hepatic steatosis (HS). Medical histories and anthropometric measurements were collected, and both the MAFLD-S score and FLI were calculated for each participant using cut-off points of 0.548 and 60, respectively. Statistical analysis, including Spearman's correlation and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, was performed to evaluate the diagnostic of HS.

Results

The study included 513 participants, with 64% being females and a mean age of 41.4 years. Hepatic steatosis was diagnosed in 46% of the population using transient elastography. Significant correlations were observed between the MAFLD-S score and FLI (s=0.726, p=0.000) The MAFLD-S score demonstrated a sensitivity (Se) of 63% and specificity (Sp) of 80% for detecting hepatic steatosis, and an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.795; the predictive positive value (PPV) was 0.728 and the positive likelihood ratio (+LR) was 3.15. FLI demonstrated Se= 58%, Sp= 81%, AUC= 0.818, PPV= 0.726 and +LR= 3.11.

Conclusions

In a group of apparently healthy people, both MAFLD-S score and FLI exhibited significant performance to diagnose hepatic steatosis. Implementing this clinical score can aid in identifying individuals at prompt early intervention to improve patient outcomes. Additional research is required to assess the diagnostic performance of these scores in patients with MAFLD.