TyG index – a potential non-invasive marker for assessing the grade of MASLD in adult patients

Aim : The aim of this study was to determine whether the triglyceride-glucose index (TyG index) is a reliable and applicable non-invasive marker for determining the severity of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) in adult patients who are overweight or obese. Materials and methods : This observational retrospective study, which took place between 2022 and 2025, included 153 adult patients—79 women and 74 men aged 25 to 91 years. Participants were divided into four groups based on their BMI, with one group serving as a healthy control. Blood tests were performed in the morning after an overnight fast, including measurements of serum glucose, triglycerides, and aminotransferases. Hepatic steatosis was assessed through abdominal ultrasound (US), computed tomography (CT), and attenuation imaging (ATI). Results : Patients without steatosis (S0) had the lowest TyG values (median: 8.20, p <0.001), which were significantly lower than those of all other grades: S1 (median 8.64, p =0.004), S2 (median 8.74, p <0.001) and S3 (median 9.25, p <0.001). Mild steatosis (S1) was associated with significantly lower TyG values compared to severe steatosis (S3) ( p <0.001). Similarly, patients with moderate steatosis (S2) had significantly lower TyG values compared to those with severe steatosis (S3) ( p =0.006). Conclusion : The applicability of TyG index for effective assessment of the presence and grading of MASLD might be of significant clinical value. This non-invasive marker seems to be associated with liver steatosis and shows a directly proportional correlation with its grading – i.e., higher TyG index values are often observed in more advanced MASLD grades (S2 and S3).