Recent research published in Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice demonstrated that carotid atherosclerosis in type 1 diabetes patients is linked to hepatic fibrosis markers. T1D patients at higher risk of CVD can be identified using non-invasive metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) scores.

The study aimed to examine the association of preclinical atherosclerosis in type 1 diabetes (T1D) with MASLD scores.

Researchers conducted a cross-sectional study in 679 individuals who did not have existing cardiovascular disease (CVD). Participants had at least one of the following: diabetic kidney disease, ≥40 years, and/or ≥ 10 years of T1D duration with CVD risk factors. Hepatic Steatosis Index (HSI), FIB-4, and Fatty Liver Index (FLI) were used to estimate MASLD. Three groups, such as no steatosis, steatosis, and steatosis + fibrosis, were established, and carotid ultrasonography was used to evaluate preclinical atherosclerosis.

Results showed that steatosis and steatosis + fibrosis showed a prevalence of 45.2 % and 8.4 % by HIS, and 13.7 % and 5.1 % by FLI. The steatosis + fibrosis combination by HSI was associated with atherosclerosis for plaque presence in multivariate models adjusted for conventional and T1D-specific risk factors. Steatosis/fibrosis markers HSI + FIB-4: no steatosis, 34.6 %; steatosis, 38.1 %; steatosis + fibrosis, 64.9 %; FLI + FIB-4: 38.8 %, 50 %, and 65 %, respectively; p < 0.01 for both) showed a correlation with carotid plaques.