The bidirectional relationship between long-term dynamic alanine aminotransferase level and metabolic associated fatty liver disease / 中华内分泌代谢杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To explore the relationship between the long-term dynamic change in alanine aminotransferase(ALT) level and metabolic associated fatty liver disease(MAFLD).Methods:A retrospective study was conducted on 6 864 subjects who underwent four consecutive physical examinations from 2017 to 2020 in a cohort study of physical examination population in Henan Province. The relation between ALT level and the shift of MAFLD risk was analyzed using a multi-state Markov model, and the bidirectional relationship between ALT level and MAFLD was explored using a random intercept cross-lagged model.Results:Multi-state Markov model after adjusting for confounding factors showed that the risk of MAFLD in ALT Q2, Q3, Q4 group was gradually higher than that in Q1 group; Compared with health status, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and MAFLD status gradually increased the risk of ALT shifting from normal to abnormal. The random intercept cross-lagged model after adjusting for confounding factors showed that there was a significant positive bidirectional relationship between MAFLD and ALT level. The cross-lag effect of MAFLD→ALT level was 0.083(95% CI 0.078-0.087), and the cross-lag effect of ALT→MAFLD was 0.044(95% CI 0.039-0.050). And with the extension of time, the cross-lag effect gradually decreased. Conclusions:There is a significant bidirectional relationship between the long-term dynamic change of ALT level and MAFLD. The occurrence of MAFLD is more likely to increase the risk of elevated ALT level, emphasizing the need for enhanced early prevention and treatment of MAFLD.