A new systematic review and meta-analysis disclosed that by using the FibroScan-aspartate aminotransferase (FAST) score, patients with fibrotic nonalcoholic steatohepatitis(NASH) could be identified noninvasively and with high sensitivity and specificity.

Between February 2020 and April 2022, the research team examined 12 observational studies with 5,835 people who had biopsy-verified nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

A FAST score of 0.35 or less and a FAST score of 0.67 or above was used to rule out fibrotic NASH in 2,723 patients (45.5%) and 1,287 patients (21.5%), respectively. Furthermore, 1,979 patients (or 33%) got a FAST score in the supposedly "grey" intermediate zone. A combined 28% of patients had fibrotic NASH.

Both the pooled sensitivity and specificity of the FAST score were 89% overall. The sensitivity was 89%, and the specificity was 56% by the rule-out cutoff of 0.35. The sensitivity was 46%, and the specificity was 89% by the rule-in threshold of 0.67.

In this investigation, sensitivity and specificity were greatly impacted by the presence or absence of diabetes and a BMI over 30.

These findings could be applied to clinical screening trials to quickly identify people at risk of developing progressive NASH, who ought to be referred for a confirmatory liver biopsy, and who could benefit from new pharmacotherapy.

(Source: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/987201?src=#vp_1)