Epidemiology of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in some regions of China / 临床肝胆病杂志

ABSTRACT

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has replaced viral hepatitis and become the most important chronic liver disease in the world. Abdominal ultrasound remains the main method for the diagnosis of NAFLD in China. The studies in China showed that in the last two decades, the prevalence rate of NAFLD was 13%-43% and tended to increase year by year, and the new cases accounted for about 4% each year, with a certain proportion of patients with non-obese NAFLD. There is a significant difference in prevalence rate between the populations from different regions, with a higher prevalence rate of NAFLD in the well-developed southeast coastal regions where people have a similar lifestyle to those in Western countries. Metabolic disorders, such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, hyperlipidemia, hyperuricemia, and hypertension, are risk factors for NAFLD. National-wide large-sample epidemiological investigation is still needed in China to help support the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of NAFLD.