Berkman Diabetes Clinical Innovation Grant Awarded to Develop Liver Disease Screening in the Adult Diabetes Clinic
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease prior to 2024, includes a range of conditions caused by a build-up of fat in the liver. It is strongly associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obesity. MASLD remains underdiagnosed and undertreated. Many people living with T2D are unaware they have it.
Endocrinologists Madona Azar, MD and Asem Ali, MD, in partnership with Hepatologists Deepika Devuni, MD and Anita Krishnarao, MD, were awarded the 2023 Herman G. Berkman Diabetes Clinical Innovation Fund grant to create a program to screen adults with diabetes and prediabetes in the UMass Memorial Diabetes Center of Excellence clinic.
Their project implemented a screening tool called the Fibrosis-4 (Fib-4) Index. It utilizes clinically available data to determine patient risk of liver fibrosis.
“This project will not only raise awareness about MASLD, encourage screening and identify high-risk patients so they can be treated,” said Dr. Azar. “We also want diabetes providers to start thinking of Fib4 as an automatic standard to monitor after the A1c test.”
The online screening tool went live during the Fall of 2023. Diabetes care team providers attended an educational session to launch the project. Data analysis will be reviewed quarterly to monitor progress and will be presented to the care team to reinforce the benefits.
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