Relationship Between Serum Uric Acid-to-Creatinine Ratio and the Risk of Metabolic-Associated Fatty Liver Disease in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

PURPOSE: To investigate the association between serum uric acid-to-creatinine ratio (SUA/Cr) and the risk of developing metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Overall, 1434 patients with T2DM who were admitted to Hebei General Hospital from January 2019 to December 2019 were selected as the study subjects. According to abdominal ultrasound findings, patients were divided into two groups: MAFLD group and non-MAFLD group. A total of 734 patients were diagnosed with MAFLD. Participants were divided into three study groups according to the SUA/Cr ratio. Chi-square test and one-way analysis of variance were used to perform a comparison between groups. The relationship between SUA/Cr ratio and MAFLD risk was analyzed using correlation analysis and regression analysis. Furthermore, subgroup analyses were performed to verify the robustness of the results. RESULTS: The detection rate of MAFLD in patients with T2DM was 51.2%, and the detection rate of progressive liver fibrosis in T2DM patients with MAFLD was 36.6%. A significantly higher SUA/Cr ratio was seen in the MAFLD group than in the non-MAFLD group. After adjusting for confounding factors, multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the SUA/Cr ratio was an independent risk factor for MAFLD development. Stronger correlations were found in participants with a body mass index ranging between 23 and 28 kg/m2, HbA1C >7%, or female sex. CONCLUSION: An elevated SUA/Cr index is independently correlated with an increased risk of MAFLD in Chinese adults with T2DM.