United States: AI can aid doctors in the diagnosis of ‘fatty liver disease’ in its initial stages, a study shows.
An AI designed to identify one of the most common types of the disease, metabolic-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), found hundreds of latent cases in the EHRs of patients at the University of Washington Medical System, scientists found, as reported by HealthDay.
AI Identifies Hidden Cases
“A significant proportion of patients who meet criteria for MASLD go undiagnosed,” said lead researcher Dr. Ariana Stuart, a resident at the University of Washington in Seattle. “This is concerning because delays in early diagnosis increase the likelihood of progression to advanced liver disease.”
The Undiagnosed Reality
Using the features used by the AI program to screen the patients, it was ascertained that 834 patients had imaging findings compatible with NAFLD, but only 137 of these had a diagnosis in their medical records.
Which means, for example, that 83 percent of patients with fatty liver disease were not officially diagnosed despite data suggesting such a diagnosis was possible based on information already present in their electronic health records, US researchers reported.
Stuart conducted the study and gave the presentation on Saturday at the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases conference in San Diego. Any such research should be taken with a pinch of salt, and researchers who put forward such claims should replicate their work in peer-reviewed journals.
AI as a Tool, Not a Replacement
“People should not interpret our findings as a lack of primary care training or management,” Stuart said in a meeting news release. “Instead, our study shows how AI can complement physician workflow to address the limitations of traditional clinical practice.”
A study published this month in the journal Nature Communications Medicine revealed that up to 42% of US adults have some form of fatty liver disease.
The Promise of Early Detection
The earlier study identified that consumption of alcohol, being overweight and having type 2 diabetes as the key causes of fatty liver disease.
If properly left untreated, then it leads to scarring of the liver and enhanced vulnerability of the person to liver disorders and liver cancer, as reported by HealthDay.
Stuart also pointed out that early detection of fatty liver disease can go a long way in stopping the disease from progressing to other disease stages.
