Mean Corpuscular Volume Is Correlated with Liver Fibrosis Defined by Noninvasive Blood Biochemical Indices in Individuals with Metabolic Disorders Aged 60 Years or Older

TL;DR

Higher red blood cell volume is linked to liver fibrosis in older people with metabolic disorders, suggesting it could be a useful indicator.

Contribution

Identifies MCV as a potential biomarker for liver fibrosis in elderly individuals with metabolic disorders.

Findings

MCV was positively associated with liver fibrosis markers in individuals aged 60 or older.

The association between MCV and fibrosis indices was not observed in those under 60 years old.

MCV may serve as a simple, noninvasive tool to assess liver fibrosis risk in the elderly.

Abstract

Background: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) causes progressive liver fibrosis. Although erythrocyte mean corpuscular volume (MCV) has been shown to have a positive correlation with all-cause mortality, the association between MCV and the development of MASLD has not been fully elucidated. Here, we examined the clinical significance of the association between MCV and MASLD. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in 1009 Japanese individuals (including 186 individuals aged < 60 years and 823 individuals aged ≥ 60 years) with metabolic disorders. The relationships between MCV and noninvasive clinical markers of liver fibrosis, including fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index, aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI), and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) fibrosis score (NFS), were statistically evaluated. Results: Using multiple and logistic regression analyses in overall subjects, it was found that MCV was positively and independently associated with the values of FIB-4 index, APRI, NFS, and the prevalence of liver fibrosis defined by each index. However, the associations between the MCV value and MASLD indices were found to be positive in subjects aged ≥ 60 years but not in those aged < 60 years. Conclusions: MCV might be a simple and useful biomarker for the development of MASLD in the elderly.

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