Combined evaluation of Fibrosis‐4 index and fatty liver for stratifying the risk for diabetes mellitus

AIMS/INTRODUCTION: To investigate whether the Fibrosis‐4 index can help stratify the risk of diabetes mellitus in patients with fatty liver disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Based on fatty liver disease and Fibrosis‐4 index (cut‐off value 1.3), we retrospectively divided 9,449 individuals, who underwent at least two annual health checkups, into four groups stratified by sex: normal; high Fibrosis‐4 index without fatty liver disease; low Fibrosis‐4 index with fatty liver disease; and high Fibrosis‐4 index with fatty liver disease. RESULTS: Onset rates for diabetes mellitus in the normal, high Fibrosis‐4 index without fatty liver disease, low Fibrosis‐4 index with fatty liver disease and high Fibrosis‐4 index with fatty liver disease groups were 1.6%, 4.3%, 6.8% and 10.2%, respectively, in men, and 0.6%, 0.9%, 5.3% and 7.0%, respectively, in women. Compared with the normal group, the high Fibrosis‐4 index without fatty liver disease, low Fibrosis‐4 index with fatty liver disease and high Fibrosis‐4 index with fatty liver disease groups were at a significant risk for diabetes mellitus onset in both male and female participants. Furthermore, in both sexes, high Fibrosis‐4 index with fatty liver disease remained a significant risk factor on multivariate analysis (high fibrosis‐4 index with fatty liver disease group: adjusted hazard ratio 4.03, 95% confidence interval 2.19–7.42 [men] and adjusted hazard ratio 6.40, 95% confidence interval 1.77–23.14 [women]). CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with fatty liver disease and high Fibrosis‐4 index had a higher risk of diabetes mellitus onset. Therefore, Fibrosis‐4 index can help stratify the risk of diabetes mellitus in patients with fatty liver disease and identify patients requiring intervention.