Screening for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease in type 2 diabetes patients using the fibrosis-4 score in medina-retrospective study
- 1College of Medicine, Taibah University, Al Madinah, Saudi Arabia
- 2King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Medical City, Diabetic Center, MOH, Diabetes Center at KSAMC, Madianh, Saudi Arabia
- 3Family, Community and Medical Education Department, College of Medicine, Taibah University, Al Madinah, Saudi Arabia
Abstract
Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a global health problem closely linked to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and advanced fibrosis. The fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index is a standard noninvasive tool for estimating fibrosis risk. This study aimed to describe the demographics, metabolic parameters, comorbidities, and T2DM duration of patients in Medina and to screen for MASLD using the FIB-4 score.
Methods: At King Salman Diabetic Center, Medina, Saudi Arabia, a cross-sectional study was conducted among 280 T2DM patients aged >35 years. Data were gathered from electronic medical records. FIB-4 levels were calculated and categorized as low (<1.3), intermediate (1.3–2.67), or high (>2.67) risk. Statistical analysis was performed with IBM SPSS Statistics 30, with p < 0.05 considered significant.
Results: A total of 87.9%of the 280 participants had low-risk FIB-4 scores, 11.4% had intermediate risk scores, and 0.7% had high risk scores. Individuals with FIB-4 ≥ 1.3 were predominantly male (64.7% vs . 43.5%, p = 0.0271) and older (median age: 56 vs . 52 years, p = 0.009). The risk groups were not significantly different in terms of body mass index (BMI) and lipid profiles, glycemic control, hypertension, or diabetes duration.
Conclusion: A significant proportion of T2DM patients had intermediate- or high-risk FIB-4 scores. These findings endorse the need for screening for liver fibrosis in T2DM patients, particularly those at increased risk. Early detection and appropriate management are essential to prevent progression to advanced liver disease.
Related
- European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) steatotic liver disease special interest group position paper on screening, diagnosis and investigation of paediatric metabolic dysfunction‐associated steatotic liver disease
- Factors associated with significant liver fibrosis in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: a single-center retrospective study
- Optimisation of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) screening algorithm for resource-poor settings using machine learning
- Real‐World Cost and Utilisation Burden of Diagnosed Metabolic Dysfunction‐Associated Steatotic Liver Disease in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes in the United States: A Retrospective Cohort Study
- Efficacy and safety of GLP-1 receptor agonists in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) : A systematic review and meta-analysis
BibTeX
@article{almohammadi2026screening,
title = {{Screening for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease in type 2 diabetes patients using the fibrosis-4 score in medina-retrospective study}},
author = {Mohammed Abdullah Almohammadi and Ziyad Esam Alsadi and Ahmad Basheer Alenezi and Faisal Mahmoud Ahmed and Badr Mahmoud Ahmed and Radwan Mohamed Mulla and Nawaf Mohammed Alrehaili and Yosef Abdullah Alsaedi and Ahmed Saud Alhuwayfi and Amal Mohammed Surrati},
journal = {PeerJ},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.7717/peerj.21785},
url = {https://peerj.com/articles/21785},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Screening for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease in type 2 diabetes patients using the fibrosis-4 score in medina-retrospective study
AU - Mohammed Abdullah Almohammadi
AU - Ziyad Esam Alsadi
AU - Ahmad Basheer Alenezi
AU - Faisal Mahmoud Ahmed
AU - Badr Mahmoud Ahmed
AU - Radwan Mohamed Mulla
AU - Nawaf Mohammed Alrehaili
AU - Yosef Abdullah Alsaedi
AU - Ahmed Saud Alhuwayfi
AU - Amal Mohammed Surrati
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/21
JO - PeerJ
DO - 10.7717/peerj.21785
UR - https://peerj.com/articles/21785
AB - Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a global health problem closely linked to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and advanced fibrosis. The fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index is a standard noninvasive tool for estimating fibrosis risk. This study aimed to describe the demographics, metabolic parameters, comorbidities, and T2DM duration of patients in Medina and to screen for MASLD using the FIB-4 score. Methods: At King Salman Diabetic Center, Medina, Saudi Arabia, a cross-sectional study was conducted among 280 T2DM patients aged >35 years. Data were gathered from electronic medical records. FIB-4 levels were calculated and categorized as low (<1.3), intermediate (1.3–2.67), or high (>2.67) risk. Statistical analysis was performed with IBM SPSS Statistics 30, with p < 0.05 considered significant. Results: A total of 87.9%of the 280 participants had low-risk FIB-4 scores, 11.4% had intermediate risk scores, and 0.7% had high risk scores. Individuals with FIB-4 ≥ 1.3 were predominantly male (64.7% vs . 43.5%, p = 0.0271) and older (median age: 56 vs . 52 years, p = 0.009). The risk groups were not significantly different in terms of body mass index (BMI) and lipid profiles, glycemic control, hypertension, or diabetes duration. Conclusion: A significant proportion of T2DM patients had intermediate- or high-risk FIB-4 scores. These findings endorse the need for screening for liver fibrosis in T2DM patients, particularly those at increased risk. Early detection and appropriate management are essential to prevent progression to advanced liver disease.
SN - 2167-8359
ER -