Abstract

Background: Fatty liver disease represents a growing public health problem in subSaharan Africa. Investigating its association with common liver biochemical markers is a fundamental diagnostic challenge for ultrasound, as it provides a linear correlation with disease severity. Objective: To evaluate the correlation between serum levels of AST, ALT, and gamma-GT and the grade of hepatic steatosis determined by abdominal ultrasound. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional analytical study involving 47 patients seen at the Les Promoteurs de la Bonne Santé Medical Center in Yaoundé between January and August 2024. Enzyme assays (AST, ALT, GGT) were performed using a kinetic spectrophotometric method. The grade of steatosis was assessed by abdominal ultrasound according to the international classification (grades 1, 2, and 3). Results: Women made up the majority of the study population (55.3%), and the mean age was 51.8 ± 14.2 years. Grade 1 steatosis was the most common (63.8%), followed by grade 2 (27.7%) and grade 3 (8.5%). No statistically significant correlation was found between AST levels (r = -0.082; p = 0.583), ALT levels (r = -0.128; p = 0.390), or GGT levels (r = -0.002; p = 0.990) and the ultrasound grade of steatosis. The Kruskal-Wallis test confirmed the absence of significant differences between grades. Conclusion: In our cohort, transaminases and GGT are not reliable markers for predicting the grade of hepatic steatosis. Ultrasound remains the first-line diagnostic test of choice.

Keywords

hepatic steatosis, ultrasound