Ayerza's Disease, Silicosis, and Pulmonary Bilharziasis

Abstract

<h3>Background</h3> NAFLD and sarcopenia are common diseases affecting adult populations, constituting a major healthcare burden. The aim of this observational study is to explore associations between sarcopenia, NAFLD and stiffness, and to provide insights on prevention strategies targeted at these diseases. <h3>Methods</h3> Subjects between 20-60 years were recruited from NHANES 2017–2018; those with alcohol abuse, underlying liver diseases and pregnancy were excluded. Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry scan was applied for the measurement of appendicular lean mass (ALM). Sarcopenia was defined as a ratio of ALM/BMI below 0.789 for male, and 0.512 for female. NAFLD was determined using liver ultrasound transient elastography. Subjects with control attenuation parameter (CAP), which is an index for fatty liver severity, was categorized into no NAFLD (CAP&lt;248 dB/m), mild (248&lt;CAP&lt;268dB/m), moderate (248&lt; CAP &lt;268dB/m), and severe (&gt;268 dB/m). Stiffness was examined simultaneously with cut-off values of 8.2, 9.7, and 13.6 Kpa. Student’s t-test was performed to detect differences between groups; univariate and multivariate linear regression analysis were conducted to determine associations between sarcopenia, CAP and stiffness with adjustment of covariates (gender, age, ethnicity, tobacco use, BMI, educational level and average household income) when applicable. <h3>Results</h3> A total of 3,510 subjects were included in the final analysis. Subjects with sarcopenia (n=669); subjects with NAFLD (no:1584, mild: 257, moderate:187, severe:834); subject with stiffness (no: 2719, mild: 58, moderate: 47, severe: 38). For male with and without sarcopenia, mean CAP difference between was 5.33 (<i>p</i>&lt;0.001); mean stiffness difference was 1.89 (<i>p</i> =0.06). For female, mean CAP difference between was 6.19 (<i>p</i> &lt;0.001); whereas no significance was found in stiffness. Linear regression showed that ALM/BMI and CAP were negatively associated in all subjects, and subjects with no and severe NAFLD (all <i>p</i>-values &lt;0.001) before and after adjustment. No association was found for stiffness among study subjects. <h3>Conclusions</h3> Our study demonstrated that adults with sarcopenia may have a higher risk of developing NAFLD and stiffness, indicating a new perspective on the early identification of high-risk populations.