European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

Abstract

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common causes of chronic liver disease. It encompasses a spectrum of conditions associated with lipid deposition in hepatocytes. It ranges from nonalcoholic steatohepatitis to advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis. The disease is mostly silent and is often discovered through incidentally elevated liver enzyme levels. This study was to analyze the distribution of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) with reference to age, gender, and socioeconomic status, to look for clinical features A total of 3762 residents were included in the present study including 2328 males and 1434 females with a mean age of 46.37 ± 14.28 years (range 20–92 years).   Measurements were taken for assessment of BMI and blood samples were collected for estimation of fasting blood glucose, Triglycerides, Cholesterol, Alanine transaminase, Aspartate transaminase, Total bilirubin, HDL and LDL.  All the nonalcoholic fatty liver disease patients studied are either overweight or obese and 92% of them are glucose intolerant or diabetics. The fasting blood glucose, serum triglyceride, serum cholesterol, serum uric acid, ALT and ALT/AST ratio values are significantly increased in NAFLD patients compared to controls. Uric acid and ALT/AST ratio are showed best overall discriminatory capacity among all biochemical parameters for NAFLD. NAFLD can be seen in both male and female patients associated with Insulin resistance syndrome and oxidative stress. The ALT/AST ratio is the better biochemical marker for diagnosis of NAFLD.  More large-scale prospective studies can validate our observations, help physicians in early identification of patients who may benefit from therapeutic interventions, and even help them formulate more effective treatment algorithms.