title: Demographic and clinicopathological characteristics of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in the East-Southeastern Anatolia regions in Turkey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify the demographic and clinicopathological characteristics of patients diagnosed with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and the risk factors for fibrosis based on histopathological findings in East-Southeastern Anatolia regions in Turkey.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included a total of 93 patients diagnosed with NAFLD from 5 different centers. Histopathological findings were evaluated by dividing them into four categories using Matteoni classifications. Cases with fibrosis were further evaluated using Brunt classifications.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patients with a nonalcoholic fatty liver were in the 3rd and 4th decade age groups. The mean age was 38 years, 76% of the patients were male, 85% were overweight, 37% were obese, 18% had type 2 diabetes mellitus, and 80.6% had hyperlipidemia. A multiple regression analysis showed that age, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels were linked with the severity of the disease. Of the 93 patients, 55 (59.1%) had fibrosis, of which 10.8% were classified as severe. The severity of fibrosis was significantly higher in obese patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The risk factors for severity of NAFLD included advanced age, type 2 diabetes mellitus and serum AST level, while the risk factor for the severity of fibrosis was obesity.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medicine, Firat University, Elazig, Turkey. ihalilb@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Ibrahim Halil
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Bahcecioglu
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koruk
authors.forename: Omer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Yilmaz
authors.forename: Cengiz
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bolukbas
authors.forename: Fusun
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bolukbas
authors.forename: Ilyas
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tuncer
authors.forename: Huseyin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ataseven
authors.forename: Kendal
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yalcin
authors.forename: Ibrahim H
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Ozercan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003710:Demography; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000145:classification / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005355:Fibrosis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014421:Turkey