Abstract 17347: The Blood Triglyceride Level in Adolescence is Positively Associated With Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Adulthood: The Kangwha Study

Abstract

Introduction: Several studies have examined the association between blood lipids levels and fatty liver. However, there have been few longitudinal studies regarding the association between lipids level in adolescence and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in adulthood. Hypothesis: We assessed the hypothesis that blood lipids level in adolescence is associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver in adulthood. Methods: The Kangwha Study was a community-based prospective cohort study that started in 1986 in Kangwha County. A total of 269 participants (148 men; 121 women) were enrolled in our study after excluding heavy drinkers in adulthood, where their blood fasting total cholesterol, triglyceride, and high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level were measured at least once during adolescence (1992-1996), and the fatty liver was assessed by computed tomography (CT) scan in adulthood (2014-2017). A fatty liver was defined as a liver with values, at least, equal to or larger than 10 of difference between hounsfield unit (HU) of spleen and HU of liver, by measuring CT scan images at L1 vertebral level. For evaluating the association between lipids level at adolescence and fatty liver in adulthood, we used multiple logistic regressions. The fitness of models was evaluated by Hosmer and Lemeshow test. Results: The presence of fatty liver in adulthood was 5.6% (15 of 269). Mean age of study participants at enrollment is 13.9 years (SD, 1.6 years), and that in adulthood is 36.1 years (SD, 0.8 years). When adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, and blood pressure in adolescence, the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of total cholesterol was 0.83 for 10 mg/dl increment (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.63-1.11), that of triglyceride was 1.17 for 10 mg/dl increment (95% CI, 1.02-1.35), and that of HDL cholesterol was 1.77 for 10 mg/dl increment (95% CI, 0.78-4.01). Our model satisfied the goodness of fit (p=0.75). Conclusions: In conclusion, the blood triglyceride level in adolescence is positively associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in adulthood, but blood total and HDL cholesterol level is not. The results of our study supported the usefulness of lipid measurements in adolescence.