Key Publications on Diabetes

Individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) may also have liver damage caused by nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), characterised by fat accumulation in the liver. If this disease is not timely managed, it can progress to a more severe form, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), where the liver becomes inflamed and fibrotic. Early detection of liver damage can increase a patient’s treatment options and support much needed lifestyle changes to reverse the disease.    

Excess body fat, especially around the abdominal internal organs, is a key risk factor for T2D. Although body mass index (BMI) is commonly used to gauge a person’s risk for T2D, it cannot diagnose a person’s body fatness as it does not account for the body shape, composition, or how these change with age.  

In this study1, Perspectum’s LiverMultiScan uncovered greater liver damage in U.K. Biobank participants with T2D than those without, even though the overall BMI and age were the same across the two groups. Importantly, routine blood tests commonly used to assess liver health were not able to differentiate the liver health status between the two groups. These findings highlight LiverMultiScan’s potential to help with the early detection of liver disease to provide personalised care for patients with T2D.   

Click here for the publication and here for Perspectum’s full list of type 2 diabetes publications.  

References

1. Waddell, T., et al. (2022). Greater Ectopic Fat Deposition, Liver Fibroinflammation and Lower Skeletal Muscle Mass in People With Type 2 Diabetes. Obesity, 30(6), 1231–1238. https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.23425