Gut Liver.  2016 Jan;10(1):117-125. 10.5009/gnl14444.

Prevalence and Factors Associated with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in a Nonobese Korean Population

• Cho HC

• KMID: 2382352
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5009/gnl14444

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an emerging problem in Asia, but little is known about the disease in the nonobese population. The aims of this study were to investigate the prevalence of NAFLD and the factors associated with it in a nonobese Korean population and to compare the clinical characteristics of nonobese and obese subjects with NAFLD.
METHODS
This cross-sectional study used data from 2,058 subjects who participated in a medical checkup program.
RESULTS
The prevalence of NAFLD was 12.4% (213/1,711) in the nonobese population. A higher body mass index (BMI), higher homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) values, higher alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, triglyceride concentrations 150 mg/dL, and hyperuricemia were independently associated with the presence of NAFLD in the nonobese subjects. Compared with the obese subjects with NAFLD, the nonobese subjects with NAFLD were composed of a higher proportion of females and had lower BMIs, smaller waist circumferences, lower HOMA-IR values, and fewer metabolic irregularities.
CONCLUSIONS
Higher BMIs, HOMA-IR values, ALT levels, hypertriglyceridemia, and hyperuricemia were associated with NAFLD in the nonobese subjects. Clinicians should be particularly aware of the possibility of NAFLD in nonobese Asian people.

Keyword

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; Nonobese population

MeSH Terms

Adult
Alanine Transaminase/blood
Anthropometry
Asian Continental Ancestry Group/*statistics & numerical data
Body Mass Index
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Homeostasis
Humans
Hypertriglyceridemia/complications
Hyperuricemia/complications
Insulin Resistance
Male
Middle Aged
Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/blood/*epidemiology/*etiology
Obesity/complications
Prevalence
Republic of Korea/epidemiology
Risk Factors
Sex Factors
Triglycerides/blood
Waist Circumference
Alanine Transaminase
Triglycerides