- 期刊
- OpenAccess
The Association between Serum Gdf-15 Levels and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
摘要
Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common disease. Growth differentiation factor (GDF)-15 is one of the promising biomarkers that has been studied to predict chronic liver disease severity. As the disease gets more severe, the GDF-15 level increases. However, the association between GDF-15 and NAFLD so far remains unclear, especially in those who do not have nonalcoholic steatohepatitis or cirrhosis. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. Totally, 653 subjects were enrolled. GDF-15 was measured using a human GDF-15 ELISA kit. Subjects were classified into NAFLD and non-NAFLD groups based on the findings of abdominal sonography. To see if inflammation influenced results, we further divided subjects in NAFLD group into NAFLD with inflammation and without inflammation, according to the ALT level or the HAIR (hypertension, ALT, and insulin resistance) score. Results: GDF-15 concentrations were significantly lower in the NAFLD group compared to the non-NAFLD group (p = 0.002). NAFLD was also an independent factor affecting GDF-15 concentrations (β = -0.16, p = 0.001) after adjusting for the insulin level, estimated glomerular filtration rate, other cardiometabolic risk factors and liver inflammation markers. In addition, GDF-15 concentrations were significantly lower in NAFLD with a normal ALT level compared to NAFLD with an abnormal ALT level (p = 0.03). The result was similar while classified inflammation or not based on the HAIR score. Conclusions: Our results showed that participants with NAFLD have lower GDF-15 levels compared to those without NAFLD. Once inflammation occurs in the liver, the GDF-15 level begins to increase.