A study of Interleukin 6 as a predictive biomarker for development of nonalcholic steatohepatitis in patients with Nonalcholic fatty liver disease

Abstract Background Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of liver disease worldwide, with a prevalence of 15%-30% in Western populations. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has emerged as the most important cause of chronic liver disease related to the increase in incidence of obesity and diabetes mellitus type II in the population. Aim of the Work To predict nonalcholic steatohepatitis in patient with NAFLD through measurement of interleukin 6 to prevent progression of the disease into liver cirrhosis through early diagnosis. Patients and Methods This study was designed to be case control study; it was conducted on 70 patients selected from Internal Medicine and Hepatology outpatient clinics and inpatient wards at Ain Shams University Hospitals from (Jun/2017 to Jul 9/2018) and 20 healthy subjects as control group. Results NASH patients had more obesity (BMI 30) (83.3%) than both simple steatosis patients (57.5%) and control (55.0%). NASH patients had higher BMI as compared to simple steatosis patients and control (p value =0.01). The present study revealed that there is a statistically significant difference between groups according to IL6 (P > 0.001) as IL6 was positive in 70% of patients with NASH while in patients with simple steatosis and control was positive in 25%, 20% respectively. Conclusion NAFLD is a highly prevalent condition, shares many features of the metabolic syndrome (MetS), a highly atherogenic condition. Recommendations Large scale multi-centre studies are recommended to study the prevalence of NAFLD in Egypt. Further studies on the effect of presence of steatosis and increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma.