Clinical Importance Of Elevated Levels Of Alpha-fetoprotein In Early Diagnosis Of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease In Native Population Of Southern Punjab, Pakistan

Aneeqa Naz, Afra Samad, Muhammad Ijaz Alam, Ayaz Saleem Ghauri, Nudrat Fayyaz, Sahar Jabeen

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between elevated levels of AFP (alpha-fetoprotein) and NAFLD (Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease) in the native population of Southern Punjab, Pakistan.
Place of Study: Ibn-e-Siena Hospital & research institute, Multan
Study Design: Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study
Duration of Study: December 2021 to July 2022
Methodology: 800 patient samples were included in this study. All subjects showed elevated serum Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels. To measure AFP sandwich immune detection FIA (fluorescence immunoassay) technique was used. The tests were performed on chroma for the quantitative analysis. A value above the cut-off value was 10.9 ng/mL was further investigated for the clinical history and full clinical record of anthropometric and biochemical tests.
Results: Fatty Liver Disease (FLD) was diagnosed in 19.5% of subjects. Most of the cases were of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) with 98.71%. More males were affected with NAFLD with 11.5%. NAFLD was more observed in >50years aged patients at 12.62% than in patients < 50 years at 6.625%. There was a non-significant correlation between the residence type of the patient with the disease incidence. There was a significant relationship between NAFLD and Blood Pressure, Fasting Blood Sugar, Triglycerides, Total Cholesterol, HBA1C, and High-Density Lipids (HDL) with a p-value <0.01.
Conclusion: It is concluded that elevated levels of alpha-fetoproteins are clinically important and can be useful tools for the early diagnosis of fatty liver disease, especially NAFLD.