Abstract
ObjectiveTo investigate the association between intestinal permeability and
severity of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and the value of
intestinal permeability in predicting the efficacy of metabolic therapy
for NAFLD.
Methods Disease severity was compared between patients with
normal and elevated intestinal permeability; correlations between
D-lactate and different NAFLD parameters were analyzed; and the effects
of metabolic therapy on NAFLD patients with normal and elevated
intestinal permeability were evaluated.
Results A total of 190 patients with NAFLD were enrolled. NAFLD
patients with elevated intestinal permeability had significantly higher
levels of liver test parameters, liver ultrasonographic fat attenuation
parameter, triglyceride, homeostasis model assessment of insulin
resistance value and diamine oxidase (all P˂0.05) than NAFLD patients
with normal intestinal permeability. Further, serum D-lactate levels
were positively correlated with alanine transaminase, aspartate
transaminase, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, total bilirubin, indirect
bilirubin, fat attenuation parameter, triglyceride, and diamine oxidase
(all P˂0.05). Moreover, NAFLD patients with elevated intestinal
permeability showed less improvement in TG levels (P=0.014) after
metabolic therapy.
Conclusion Intestinal permeability correlates with the disease
severity in patients with NAFLD. Moreover, intestinal permeability may
have value for predicting the efficacy of metabolic therapy for NAFLD
patients.
Keywords: nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; intestinal
permeability; disease severity; patients; treatment effectiveness