The glycated albumin to glycated haemoglobin ratio increases along with the fibrosis stage in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.

BACKGROUND

We previously reported that the indicator of glycaemic control, glycated albumin (GA) levels, are low in relation to glycaemia in patients with high alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease because of chronic inflammation, and that the GA/glycated haemoglobin ratio (G/H ratio) is inversely correlated with hepatic function in patients with chronic liver disease. The severity of liver fibrosis is known to be a good indicator for surveillance, and for determining the prognosis and optimal treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). In this study, we aimed to investigate the clinical usefulness of measuring the G/H ratio for predicting the severity of liver fibrosis in patients with NASH.

METHODS

The study subjects were 36 patients with histologically diagnosed NASH (19 men, 17 women; mean age 54.8±12.2 years, body mass index 28.3±5.0 kg/m2). The relationships of the G/H ratio to hepatic function tests and fibrosis stage in the liver were investigated.

RESULTS

The G/H ratio in patients with NASH was inversely correlated with ALT (P<0.001) and platelet count (P<0.0001). Furthermore, the G/H ratio was positively correlated with the fibrosis stage in liver (P=0.003).

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that the G/H ratio increases along with the fibrosis stage in patients with NASH.