Evaluation of C-reactive protein levels in the differentiation of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and simple liver steatosis

Aim: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a broad-spectrum disease that has increased in recent years due to increased sedentary life and obesity. It was aimed to determine C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, its association with simple steatosis and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and its diagnostic value in this study. Methods: A total of 165 patients had a diagnosis of fatty liver disease (simple steatosis group and NASH group) and 99 healthy controls without liver disease were included in the study. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, CRP levels were evaluated and ultrasonographic evaluation of liver was performed in all groups. Histopathological evaluation was performed by biopsy in 65 patients who were thought to have NASH. Results: AST and ALT values were found to be significantly higher in the NASH group than the other groups. CRP levels were detected lowest in control group and highest in NASH group (p <0.001). AST values were also found to be significantly higher in patients with fibrosis grade 3-4 compared to the control group. Conclusion: Our study showed that CRP level is a suitable marker for differentiation of simple steatosis and NASH.