Doha:Two international studies have highlighted the potential of blood tests and non-invasive imaging techniques to diagnose metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease and assess liver fibrosis, potentially reducing the reliance on biopsies.

According to Qatar News Agency, the studies were published in The Lancet and Nature Medicine under the international LITMUS research program. They involved more than 1,850 patients and evaluated non-invasive diagnostic methods.

The findings demonstrated that SOMAscan protein analysis, magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), FibroScan, and blood tests including ELF and ADAPT performed effectively in detecting and assessing advanced fibrosis. Additionally, one study found that gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) could differentiate between fibrosis stages, sometimes outperforming the widely used FIB-4 index.

Researchers advocate for a stepwise diagnostic approach, starting with simple blood tests and employing specialized scans when necessary to identify patients needing referral to liver specialists. These studies are crucial as metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease affects approximately one-third of adults globally.

Despite the promising results, researchers emphasized the need for further studies before these tests can be widely adopted as alternatives to liver biopsies.