A novel noninvasive index for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis: a pilot study

Objective: The potential development of a noninvasive marker predicting nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Methods: Thirty patients with biopsy-proven nonalcoholic fatty liver disease were evaluated by numerous anthropometric, clinical and biochemical parameters. Results: Serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT; p=0.027), log (erythrocyte sedimentation rate) (ESR; p=0.034) and homocysteine (p=0.041) were associated with NASH independently from gender, age and body mass index. When combined, the regression model provided R-2=0.563 (p=0.001) and area under the ROC curve=0.873 +/- 0.066 (p < 0.001). Conclusion: This noninvasive marker, named HSENSI (acronym of homocysteine, SGOT, ESR, Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Index), consists of three low cost, easily measurable parameters and may accurately predict NASH.