title: Prevalence and risk factors of fatty liver disease in the Shuiguohu district of Wuhan city, central China.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Fatty liver disease (FLD) is highly prevalent in Western countries, but recent data have shown that FLD is also emerging in China.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of FLD in the Shuiguohu district of Wuhan city, central China, during 1995-2004.
  
  
  METHODS
  12247 individuals (7179 men and 5068 women) over 18 years of age who were living in the area were investigated for FLD in the Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University from 1995 to 2004. FLD was determined by the ultrasonographic method. Height, weight, blood pressure, fasting blood sugar, alanine aminotransferase, total cholesterol and triglyceride were determined by routine laboratory methods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of FLD was 12.5% in 1995, and rose gradually to 24.5% by 2003-4. The prevalence was twice as high in men (28.1%) as in women (13.8%), and increased with age in females, and males <60 years of age. Multivariate analysis showed that several risk factors were profoundly associated with the prevalence of FLD, including male sex, old age, obesity, hyperlipidaemia (cholesterol or triglyceride), fasting hyperglycemia and hypertension.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of FLD in the Shuiguohu district of Wuhan city, central China, was shown to have increased during the 10-year period, 1995 to 2004. The FLD was found to be closely associated with sex, age, obesity and other metabolic syndrome features.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine & Geriatrics, Wuhan University School of Medicine, Zhongnan Hospital, Wuhan, PR China.
authors.forename: Zhongli
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: Chunwei
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Zhengguo
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Xiangqun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008659:Metabolic Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution