Abstract
Because of its complex pathogenesis and scarcity of approved therapies, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is considered as one of the major challenge before mankind. Literature suggests that non-alcoholic fatty liver disease will replace Hepatitis C as a major form of chronic liver disease in adults and children over the next decade thus becoming the major cause of liver transplantation. Aim: To assess anthropometric, biochemical parameters and correlates of ultrasound-diagnosed non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients. Material and methods: For this study a total of 182 subjects were selected from the department of Radiodiagnosis and Imaging, SKIMS medical college, Bemina, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India. Control group consisted of 91 age and sex matched subjects (mean age 51.69 ± 13.97 years) whereas case group consisted of 91 subjects (mean age 50.72 ± 12.13 years). Ultrasound under standardized conditions was performed in all subjects and the grading of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease was done in case group. Correlation of anthropometric and biochemical parameters with the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease was sought from the case group. Results: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients had significantly higher body mass index [BMI (p<0.0001***)] and waist-to-hip ratio (p<0.003**), fasting glucose levels (p<0.0001***) and triglycerides (p<0.0001***). Furthermore, a positive correlation between the waist (inches) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease was found. Conclusion: Our findings further support that patients with signs of metabolic syndrome are at increased risk to develop non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Furthermore abdominal obesity is an independent risk factor for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Highlights
Non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an umbrella term that covers a range of liver diseases from steatosis, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and liver cirrhosis [1]
NAFLD has a prevalence of approximately 70% in obese people who have Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) [3]
Studies have shown that subjects who have abdominal obesity and other features of metabolic syndrome such as hyperglycemia, hypertriglyceridemia and hypertension are at a heightened risk of having NAFLD as well as cardiovascular disease [7,8]
Summary
Non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an umbrella term that covers a range of liver diseases from steatosis, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and liver cirrhosis [1]. Literature suggests that NAFLD affects 25% of the population globally with a range of 13.5% in Africans and 31.8% in the Middle-East [2]. It has been seen that obesity and Type 2 diabetes mellitus are strongly linked with NAFLD. NAFLD has a prevalence of approximately 70% in obese people who have Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) [3]. With the increasing prevalence of obesity and metabolic syndrome, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) would be the leading indication for liver transplant [4,5,6]. NAFLD is surfacing as a significant cause of liver disease in India. Literature suggests that prevalence of NAFLD in around 9% to 32% of general population in India with higher prevalence in those with obesity, diabetes or prediabetes. Half of Indian patients with NAFLD have evidence of full-blown metabolic syndrome [9]
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