Noninvasive tests maintain high accuracy for advanced fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B patients with different nomenclatures of steatotic liver disease.

ABSTRACT

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a new nomenclature proposed in 2023. We aimed to compare the diagnostic efficacy of noninvasive tests (NITs) for advanced fibrosis under different nomenclatures in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). A total of 844 patients diagnosed with CHB and concurrent steatotic liver disease (SLD) by liver biopsy were retrospectively enrolled and divided into four groups. The performances of fibrosis-4 (FIB-4), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase to platelet ratio index (GPRI), aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index (APRI), and liver stiffness measurement (LSM) were compared among the four groups. The four NITs showed similar diagnostic efficacy for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), MASLD, and metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) in patients with CHB with advanced fibrosis. LSM showed the most stable accuracy for NAFLD (AUC = 0.842), MASLD (AUC = 0.846), and MAFLD (AUC = 0.863) compared with other NITs (p < 0.05). Among the four NITs, APRI (AUC = 0.841) and GPRI (AUC = 0.844) performed best in patients with CHB & MetALD (p < 0.05). The cutoff value for GPRI in patients with CHB & MetALD was higher than that in the other three groups, while further comparisons of NITs at different fibrosis stages showed that the median GPRI of CHB & MetALD (1.113) at F3-4 was higher than that in the CHB & MASLD group (0.508) (p < 0.05). Current NITs perform adequately in patients with CHB and SLD; however, alterations in cutoff values for CHB & MetALD need to be noted.