Association of Systemic Inflammatory Indices with Metabolic Dysfunction–Associated Fatty Liver Disease and Liver Fibrosis
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: BACKGROUND/AIMS: The newly proposed metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) framework reflects the evolving understanding of fatty liver disease, highlighting the importance of exploring novel risk factors beyond traditional metabolic indicators. This study aimed to examine the associations between systemic inflammatory indices and the prevalence of MASLD and liver fibrosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from the 2017 MASLD framework reflecting the evolving regression was used to assess associations of systemic inflammatory indices-systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), systemic inflammation response index (SIRI), platelet- to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), prognostic nutritional index (PNI), aggregate index of systemic inflammation (AISI), inflammation burden index (IBI), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, neutrophil-to-albumin ratio, and pan-immuneinflammation value (PIV)-with MASLD assessed by controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) and liver fibrosis assessed by liver stiffness measurement (LSM), adjusting for confounders. RESULTS: Analysis of CAP and MASLD revealed that elevated SII, SIRI, LMR, IBI, and PNI were significantly associated with higher CAP values, reflecting increased hepatic steatosis, while PLR showed a negative association. Regarding LSM and liver fibrosis, higher SIRI, PNI, IBI, and AISI were significantly associated with increased liver stiffness, whereas PLR remained inversely correlated. CONCLUSION: This nationally representative study demonstrates that systemic inflammatory dysregulation is linked to both MASLD and liver fibrosis, with distinct biomarker patterns for steatosis and fibrosis.
Authors: Qinghua Wei, Neng Shen, Xiang Chen, Jiacheng Cai
Language: English
Subfield: Epidemiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7130376287