Experimental and Clinical Physiology and BiochemistryAccepted: 22-10-2025
Published: 22-11-2025
Abstract. Although the diagnosis of metabolically associated steatosis of the liver (MASL) using ultrasound techniques does not cause difficulties, fatty liver disease and its first stage – MASL – are underdiagnosed. For simplifying diagnostics, some calculated indexes are proposed, including the hepatic steatosis index (HSI), an increase of which exceeds 36 is recognized as a criterion for liver steatosis. However, its diagnostic value in patients with a cardiovascular profile has not yet been studied.
The goal is to estimate the value of HSI, the features of the course of the main nosology under the conditions of its increase, and to determine the sensitivity and specificity for HSI as a diagnostic test in patients with a cardiovascular profile.
Materials. 75 patients who were admitted to hospital with coronary artery disease (CAD), stable angina were examined (31 men, 44 women, average age 44,0 years). They were divided into 2 groups: with MASL (n = 56; age 49,1 years; 26 men, 30 women) and with an intact liver (n = 19; age 39,0 years; 5 men and 14 women), HSI was additionally determined. The results are calculated statistically; the significance of HSI as a diagnostic test was verified by ROC-analysis (Receiver Operating Characteristic).
The results. In patients with coronary artery disease, stable angina and MASL, which was diagnosed on ultrasonography, the HSI level was significantly higher than in patients without steatosis and exceeded the diagnostic criteria for steatosis. A value of HIS ≥ 36 was accompanied by worse structural parameters of the heart and an increase in total cholesterol level. According to Spearman-Pearson's correlation analysis, the HSI level was associated with structural characteristics of the heart (aorta and left atrium sizes), lipid metabolism parameters and screening criteria for thrombus formation. According to ROC analysis, HSI is a reliable diagnostic test (AUC = 0,753) for the diagnosis of MASL with moderate sensitivity (58,7 %) and specificity (66,7 %).
Conclusion. Hepatic steatosis index is a reliable diagnostic test for the diagnosis of MASL with moderate sensitivity and specificity, which allows to use it in complex diagnosis in patients with stable forms of CAD.
Keywords: stable angina, metabolic-associated liver steatosis, hepatic steatosis index, sensitivity and specificity of the hepatic steatosis index
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