What is the purpose of this tool?
The Fatty Liver Disease Diagnosis Tool is a web-based application designed to aid in the diagnosis of liver conditions, specifically distinguishing between Alcoholic Liver Disease (ALD) and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). The tool utilizes a nomogram, the ALD/NAFLD Index (ANI), derived from a logistic regression analysis incorporating various variables such as Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV), Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST) to Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) ratio, Body Mass Index (BMI), and gender.
These factors were identified through a comprehensive study conducted at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, as detailed in the paper “Utility of a new model to diagnose an alcohol basis for steatohepatitis” by Winston Dunn et al.
The ANI provides a reliable and objective means of differentiating between ALD and NAFLD, outperforming other conventional biomarkers, contributing to more accurate and informed clinical decisions.