ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to review cases of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease cases and to determine the prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease as a cause of elevated alanine aminotransferase in healthy blood donors in the Permian area and also assess risk factors of NAFLD such as BMI and correlation with metabolic syndrome in these subjects. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease has been increasingly recognized as the most common pathological conditions affecting the liver. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is now recognized as the hepatic component of the metabolic syndrome, which includes hyperlipidemia, glucose intolerance, obesity, and systemic hypertension. 2002 randomly selected blood donors were recruited for this study. Subjects with elevated serum ALT level [greater than two times the upper limit of normal] were chosen for further follow up. Subjects with a persistently elevated ALT level, evidence of steatosis on computerized tomography and a negative cirrhosis screen [viral hepatitis B and C serology, autoimmune hepatitis, transferrin saturation <45% and a no history of excess alcohol consumption or hepatotoxic medication] were presumed to have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. 378 donors [20.5% of all subjects recruited] had elevated ALT levels at first measurement. 35 cases had persistently elevated serum ALT level. In 22 of these 35 cases [62.9%] non-alcoholic fatty liver disease was the diagnosis. The mean body mass index of the 22 cases was 31.18 +/- 5.7 and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease was associated with the metabolic syndrome in these subjects. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is the most common diagnosis for subjects with elevated serum ALT level in healthy blood donors in Kerman, Iran
ABSTRACT
Pregnant women with previous gestational diabetes mellitus are at increased risk of progressive carotid artery disorders. The current study evaluated carotid intima-media thickness [IMT] in pregnant women with gestational diabetes at two time points of mid-term and full-term pregnancy to determine whether gestational diabetes mellitus causes increased IMT. This cross-sectional study carried out at Afzalipour Hospital [Kerman, Iran] between 2009 and 2010, recruited 50 women who were at high risk of gestational diabetes during pregnancy and had an oral glucose challenge test [OGCT] as screening for gestational diabetes. B-mode ultrasound scans were performed at baseline and at two time points of midterm pregnancy [20 to 24 weeks] and full-term pregnancy [36 to 38 weeks] on all the participants. The mean IMT of common carotids and internal carotid arteries from two walls [near and far walls] at four different angles was assessed. An overall comparison between the impaired OGCT test group and the control group revealed significant differences in carotid IMT in the mid-term [0.65 +/- 0.07 vs. 0.59 +/- 0.06 mm; p value = 0.002] and full-term [0.65 +/- 0.05 vs. 0.59 +/- 0.04 mm; p value < 0.001] pregnancy; however, the trend of the changes in carotid IMT during mid to full-term pregnancy was insignificant in each group [p value > 0.05]. Carotid IMT was significantly higher in the women with gestational diabetes than that in the normoglycemic group in different trimesters. This finding denotes that atherosclerosis might start years before the diagnosis of gestational diabetes in vulnerable women