Institution: | 1. First Laboratory of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece;2. Department of Endocrinology, Ippokration General Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece |
Abstract: | Background and aimsNonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is highly prevalent in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). There is currently no approved treatment for NAFLD. The main aim was the evaluation of the effect of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA) vs. dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor (DPP-4i) treatment on noninvasive indices of hepatic steatosis and fibrosis in patients with T2DM.MethodsIn this retrospective study, three noninvasive indices of hepatic steatosis HSI, NAFLD ridge score, and triglycerides (TG) to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) ratio] and five of fibrosis (APRI, FIB-4, NAFLD fibrosis score, BAAT and BARD) were calculated before and after (6–18 months) the addition of a DPP-4i (n = 152) or a GLP-1 RA (n = 37) in patients with T2DM.ResultsRegarding steatosis indices, NAFLD ridge score was significantly decreased in the GLP-1 RA group (baseline: 0.90 ± 0.34, follow-up: 0.67 ± 0.24; p = 0.001), but not in the DPP-4i group (p = 0.25); the difference for group1time interaction was significant (p = 0.02). HSI showed a trend between groups, being significantly different at baseline and follow-up (p < 0.001) with no significant difference in group1time interaction. Indices of fibrosis were not essentially changed within or between groups.ConclusionsNAFLD ridge score was significantly decreased after the addition of GLP-1 RA in patients with T2DM. This study warrants further prospective clinical trials. |