A study of the prevalence of hyperuricemia as well as its association with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in three hundred patients at a tertiary care centre in North-East India

Abstract

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a condition defined by excessive fat accumulation in the form of triglycerides (steatosis) in the liver. In recent years, an association between elevated serum uric acid concentrations and NAFLD has been reported. Thus, we intended to perform this cross-sectional study to establish the prevalence of hyperuricemia in NAFLD patients and its association with NAFLD in 300 patients at a tertiary care centre in North-East India.Methods: In this hospital based cross-sectional study, 300 patients presenting in Assam medical college and hospital (AMCH) with diagnosed NAFLD were included during the one year period from July 2015 to June 2016.Results: Hyperuricemia was observed in 99 cases out of a total of 300 cases of NAFLD (33%), and a statistically significant association was observed between the two parameters.Conclusions: The prevalence rate of NAFLD was significantly higher in subjects with hyperuricemia than that in those without hyperuricemia (78.19% versus 40.83%) (p<0.001), and the prevalence rate increased with progressively higher serum uric acid levels (p<0.001).