Physiological and Immunological Study of Biomarkers in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease for Predicting Chronic Kidney Diseases

Abstract

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized by the accumulation of lipids in macrovesicular hepatic vesicles in about ≥5% of hepatocytes in patients who do not have a secondary cause for steatosis, such as alcohol consumption, hepatitis C, medications, protein malnutrition, or parenteral nutrition. The current research was designed to evaluate the association between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and chronic kidney disease in patients with NAFLD. This study was conducted from December 2023 until March 2024 at the following main locations: AL-Nasriya Technical Hospital, Nasiriya Governorate, Iraq; Mohammed AL-Mousawi Children′s Hospital, Nasiriya Governorate, Iraq; and AL-Imam AL-Hussain Hospital, Nasiriya Governorate, Iraq. The samples consisted of sixty patients diagnosed with NAFLD and twenty-eight patients without NAFLD. Patient samples included 30 males aged between 28 and 75 years and 30 females aged between 20 and 70 years. The control group’s ages ranged between 28 and 65 years. The creatinine test results showed a non-significant increase in patients with NAFLD compared to the control group; in contrast, the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) decreased significantly in the patients group compared to the control. The results also showed significant decreases in FABP-4, PAI-1, and TNF-α levels in patients with NAFLD compared to the control group. Based on the results of the current study, FABP-4 and PAI-1 are considered excellent markers for predicting chronic kidney disease (CKD), and TNF-α can also be considered a reliable marker for predicting CKD.