Zhongli Wang1, Ming Xu, Zhengguo Hu, Michael Hultström, Enyin Lai. 1. aDepartment of Internal Medicine & Geriatrics, Zhongnan Hospital, Wuhan University School of Medicine, Wuhan bDepartment of Physiology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China cIntegrative Physiology, Department of Medical Cell Biology dAnaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Department of Surgical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the sex-specific prevalence and metabolic risk factors of fatty liver disease (FLD), and to predict the prevalence of steatohepatitis with liver fibrosis in Wuhan, south central China. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 25,032 participants who underwent health checkups from 2010 to 2011 in Zhongnan hospital. RESULTS: The prevalence of FLD was higher among men than among women (31.8 vs. 12.9%, P<0.0001). However, it increased markedly with age among women, and in the age-groups above 60 years, the prevalence was similar between men and women (26.4 vs. 27.6%, P>0.05). FLD was associated with obesity, increased levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoproteins, serum uric acid, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and fasting blood sugar, an aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase ratio of less than 1, and a decreased level of high-density lipoprotein in both sexes. Multiple regression analyses showed that obesity, elevated levels of fasting blood sugar, TG, total cholesterol, and alanine aminotransferase, an aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase ratio of less than 1, serum uric acid levels, and decreased high-density lipoprotein levels were related to FLD in men, whereas age played a more prominent role in women. The prevalence of steatohepatitis with advanced fibrosis, estimated using the BMI, age, ALT, and TG index (BAAT index), was 2.5% in men and 1.4% in women; more women with FLD had a BAAT score of 3 or higher compared with men (9.0 vs. 6.6%). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of FLD in China is high among men and elderly women and is mainly related to various metabolic parameters. The prevalence of steatohepatitis with advanced fibrosis is considerably high among individuals with FLD.
BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the sex-specific prevalence and metabolic risk factors of fatty liver disease (FLD), and to predict the prevalence of steatohepatitis with liver fibrosis in Wuhan, south central China. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 25,032 participants who underwent health checkups from 2010 to 2011 in Zhongnan hospital. RESULTS: The prevalence of FLD was higher among men than among women (31.8 vs. 12.9%, P<0.0001). However, it increased markedly with age among women, and in the age-groups above 60 years, the prevalence was similar between men and women (26.4 vs. 27.6%, P>0.05). FLD was associated with obesity, increased levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoproteins, serum uric acid, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and fasting blood sugar, an aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase ratio of less than 1, and a decreased level of high-density lipoprotein in both sexes. Multiple regression analyses showed that obesity, elevated levels of fasting blood sugar, TG, total cholesterol, and alanine aminotransferase, an aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase ratio of less than 1, serum uric acid levels, and decreased high-density lipoprotein levels were related to FLD in men, whereas age played a more prominent role in women. The prevalence of steatohepatitis with advanced fibrosis, estimated using the BMI, age, ALT, and TG index (BAAT index), was 2.5% in men and 1.4% in women; more women with FLD had a BAAT score of 3 or higher compared with men (9.0 vs. 6.6%). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of FLD in China is high among men and elderly women and is mainly related to various metabolic parameters. The prevalence of steatohepatitis with advanced fibrosis is considerably high among individuals with FLD.