Abstract
BackgroundPrimary care is the ideal setting for early identification of patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD is a potentially progressive disease that may lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer but is frequently underrecognized because subjects at risk are often not evaluated. Controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) is a reliable method for non-invasive quantification of liver fat. It has the advantage of simultaneous measurement of liver stiffness (LS), an estimate of liver fibrosis. There is no information on CAP in subjects with risk factors from primary care.AimTo investigate the prevalence of hepatic steatosis, as estimated by CAP, in subjects from the community with metabolic risk factors and correlate findings with clinical and biochemical characteristics and LS.Patients and methodsPopulation-based study of 215 subjects with metabolic risk factors without known liver disease identified randomly from a primary care center. A control group of 80 subjects matched by age and sex without metabolic risk factors was also studied. CAP and LS were assessed using Fibroscan.ResultsSubjects with risk factors had CAP values higher than those of control group (268±64 vs 243±49dB/m,p<0.001). Prevalence of severe steatosis (CAP> 280dB/m) in subjects with risk factors was 43%. In multivariate analysis, fatty liver index (FLI) and HOMA were independent predictive factors of severe steatosis. There was a direct correlation between CAP and FLI values (r = 0.52,p<0.001). Interestingly, prevalence of increased LS was 12.6% in the risk group vs 0% in the control group (p<0.001). Increased LS occurred predominantly in subjects with high CAP values.ConclusionsA high proportion of subjects with metabolic risk factors seen in primary care have severe steatosis. FLI could be used as a surrogate of CAP. Increased LS was found in a significant proportion of subjects with risk factors but not in control subjects.
Highlights
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a major health problem worldwide because of its high prevalence and its important long-term morbidity and mortality [1,2,3,4,5]
A high proportion of subjects with metabolic risk factors seen in primary care have severe steatosis
fatty liver index (FLI) could be used as a surrogate of Controlled attenuation parameter (CAP)
Summary
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a major health problem worldwide because of its high prevalence and its important long-term morbidity and mortality [1,2,3,4,5]. The presence of fat in the liver is associated with an increased risk of liverrelated morbidity and mortality through development of liver fibrosis and cirrhosis [6,7]. Primary care is the ideal setting for early identification of patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) is a reliable method for non-invasive quantification of liver fat. It has the advantage of simultaneous measurement of liver stiffness (LS), an estimate of liver fibrosis. There is no information on CAP in subjects with risk factors from primary care
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