Prevalence of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in the Russian Federation: the Open, Multicenter, Prospective Study, DIREG 1

Abstract

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a very serious medical and social problem that can lead to the progression of liver cirrhosis and eventually hepatic failure. There is a paucity of data regarding the prevalence and risk factors for NAFLD in the Russian Federation. Methods: The open multicenter prospective screening study, DIREG 1, involved patients aged 18–80 years who were admitted to various polyclinics for ambulatory therapeutic care (with or without apparent signs of hepatic diseases) at 208 centers in the Russian Federation from March 25th to November 26th, 2007. NAFLD was diagnosed by ultrasonography; a range of clinical and laboratory findings were also recorded for each participant. Results: A total of 30,754 outpatients were included in the screening study analysis. The prevalence of NAFLD was 27.0% (8,315/30,754), of which 80.3% had steatosis, 16.8% had steatohepatitis and 2.9% had disease at the cirrhotic stage. Most cases of NAFLD were observed in those aged 50-59 years (31.1%), 40-49 years (23.6%), and 60-69 years (18.1%). The most common risk factors associated with the NAFLD cohort vs the general screening population were dyslipidemia (75.9% vs 37.6%), arterial hypertension (69.9% vs 41.8%), and hypercholesterolemia (68.8% vs 33.5%) (all P<0.001). Conclusion: There is an urgent need to address the high prevalence of NAFLD in the Russian Federation (27%) and the large proportion of individuals with associated risk factors.