Liver Fibrosis in Pars Cohort Study: A Large-Scale Study on the Prevalence and Correlated Factors Publisher Pubmed



Nakhostinansari A¹ ; Hosseiniasl SH² ; Aliasgharpour F² ; Ahmadi M² ; Gandomkar A³ ; Malekzadeh F⁴ ; Poustchi H⁴ ; Fattahi MR⁵ ; Anushiravani A⁴ ; Malekzadeh R⁴
Source: Arab Journal of Gastroenterology Published:2023

Abstract

Backgrounds and study aims: The fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) is a non-invasive scoring system for estimating liver fibrosis severity as a biomarker of chronic liver disease. We aimed to estimate the prevalence and severity of chronic liver disease at the community level using FIB-4. Patients and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted using the Pars Cohort database collected in Valashar, Fars province, Iran. Participants were divided into three groups based on their FIB-4 scores: low risk of liver fibrosis (FIB < 1.45), intermediate cases (1.45 ≤ FIB-4 ≤ 3.25), and high risk of liver fibrosis (FIB-4 > 3.25). Results: In total, 9269 individuals with a mean age of 52.65 years were enrolled in the study, of which 4278 (46.2 %) were male. Among all participants, 7853 (84.7 %) were in the low-risk, and 65 (0.7 %) were in the high-risk groups. In the final ordinal regression model, male gender, being a farmer or rancher, living in rural areas, history of opioid use, history of jaundice, no history of diabetes, history of depression, and positive HBs Ag were independently associated with higher FIB-4 scores. Conclusion: Our study revealed that males, individuals residing in rural areas, and those engaged in farming and ranching occupations face a heightened risk of liver fibrosis. These findings emphasize the need for future programs for early detection and effective management of liver fibrosis in these at-risk populations. © 2023 Pan-Arab Association of Gastroenterology