Current status of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and related risk factors: an analysis of an enterprise in Xi′an / 临床肝胆病杂志

ABSTRACT

ObjectiveTo investigate the current status of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in an enterprise in Xi′an, China, and to provide a scientific basis for further studies on NAFLD in Shanxi. MethodsA total of 415 employees who underwent health examination in The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi′an Medical University from June to July, 2014 were enrolled. All the patients underwent physical examination, abdominal ultrasound, and serological examination, and completed related questionnaires. The t-test was applied for comparison of continuous data, and the Pearson correlation analysis was applied for correlation analysis. ResultsOf all the 415 patients, 86 (20.7%) had NAFLD, consisting of 70 patients (16.9%) with mild NAFLD and 16 patients (3.8%) with moderate NAFLD. The population with an age of 50-58 years had the highest prevalence rate (30.8%, 16/52). Of all the 86 patients with NAFLD, 57 (66.3%) had obesity, and 76 (88.4%) had abdominal obesity. The employees with moderate NAFLD had a significantly higher alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level, a significantly higher aspartate aminotransferase (AST) level, a significantly larger abdominal circumference, and a significantly higher body mass index (BMI) than those with mild NAFLD (t=-4.140, -3.512, -4.405, and -5.051, respectively, all P＜0.05). In the employees with NAFLD, BMI and abdominal circumference were correlated with AST level (r=0.283 and 0.271, both P＜0.05) and ALT level (r=0.325 and 0.316, both P＜0.05). Most employees in this enterprise had a bad eating habit, a sedentary lifestyle, and a lack of physical exercise. ConclusionThis enterprise has a high prevalence rate of NAFLD. BMI and abdominal circumference of patients with NAFLD have certain clinical values in predicting the degree of fat deposition in the liver, and are correlated with AST and ALT levels.