Combined Screening for Eye and Liver Disease in Type 2 Diabetes
Could a simple Eye Scan Detect liver Damage in Diabetics?
New research suggests a promising, dual-purpose screening method for people with type 2 diabetes.
More than half of Americans with type 2 diabetes also have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a condition that can silently progress to serious liver damage. Early detection is crucial, but many individuals remain unaware of the problem until it’s advanced.
Currently, international guidelines recommend screening for liver fibrosis, a type of scarring that can lead to cirrhosis or liver cancer, in people at increased risk, including those with type 2 diabetes. however, this often happens too late.
“regrettably, severe liver disease is often detected late when the prognosis is poor,” says Dr. Hannes Hagström, adjunct professor at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.”Since there is now an approved treatment for NAFLD with fibrosis, it would be good to be able to screen diabetic patients for liver fibrosis and thus prevent severe disease.”
A new study led by Dr. Hagström offers a potential solution: combining existing eye screenings for diabetic retinopathy with a fast, painless ultrasound technique called elastography to detect liver fibrosis.
“This would allow us to kill two birds with one stone and easily detect liver fibrosis in this patient group before it develops into cirrhosis or liver cancer,” says Dr. Hagström.
the study, which involved over 1,300 patients with type 2 diabetes already undergoing retina scanning, found that 77% were willing to have their livers examined by elastography as well.
While initial results showed a high percentage of patients with potential liver fibrosis, further examination and reassessment lowered these figures, highlighting the need for further refinement of the technique.
“It shows that the method gives many false positives, partly because many people were probably not fasting as instructed at the first examination,” explains Dr. Hagström.
The next step for researchers is to conduct health economic analyses to determine the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of this combined screening strategy.
If successful, this innovative approach could revolutionize liver disease detection in people with type 2 diabetes, leading to earlier intervention and improved outcomes.
Could a Simpler Eye Scan Detect Liver Damage in Diabetics?
New research suggests a promising, dual-purpose screening method for people with type 2 diabetes. More than half of Americans with type 2 diabetes also have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a condition that can silently progress too serious liver damage. Early detection is crucial, but many individuals remain unaware of the problem until it’s advanced.
currently, international guidelines recommend screening for liver fibrosis, a type of scarring that can lead to cirrhosis or liver cancer, in people at increased risk, including those with type 2 diabetes. However, this often happens too late.
“Regrettably,severe liver disease is often detected late when the prognosis is poor,” says dr. Hannes Hagström, adjunct professor at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. “Since there is now an approved treatment for NAFLD with fibrosis, it would be good to be able to screen diabetic patients for liver fibrosis adn thus prevent severe disease.”
A new study led by Dr.Hagström offers a potential solution: combining existing eye screenings for diabetic retinopathy with a fast, painless ultrasound technique called elastography to detect liver fibrosis.
“this would allow us to kill two birds with one stone and easily detect liver fibrosis in this patient group before it develops into cirrhosis or liver cancer,” says Dr. Hagström.
The study, which involved over 1,300 patients with type 2 diabetes already undergoing retina scanning, found that 77% were willing to have their livers examined by elastography as well.
While initial results showed a high percentage of patients with potential liver fibrosis, further examination and reassessment lowered these figures, highlighting the need for further refinement of the technique.
“It shows that the method gives many false positives, partly because many people were probably not fasting as instructed at the first examination,” explains Dr. Hagström.
The next step for researchers is to conduct health economic analyses to determine the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of this combined screening strategy.
If successful, this innovative approach could revolutionize liver disease detection in people with type 2 diabetes, leading to earlier intervention and improved outcomes.