title: Clinicopathological study of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in Japan: the risk factors for fibrosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We evaluated patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and compared the clinical and pathological features to identify the risk factors for NAFLD with severe fibrosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and eighty-two patients with biopsy-confirmed NAFLD from various medical centres were recruited into this study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The variables that were significantly associated with severe steatosis were male gender (mild:severe=36%:53%, P=0.02), younger age (mild:severe=57%:82%, P>0.001) and absence of type 2 diabetes (mild:severe=43%:71%, P>0.001). There was no significant difference in the degree of inflammation among the clinical groups. The variables that were significantly associated with severe fibrosis were female gender (mild:severe=54%:84%, P=0.002), older age (> or = 60 years old) (mild:severe=29%:53%, P=0.020), type 2 diabetes (mild:severe=42%:71%, P=0.020) and hypertension (mild:severe=24%:53%, P=0.002). Although there were more obese patients in the group with severe fibrosis, the association was not statistically significant (mild:severe=67%:78%, P=0.229). The prevalence of high serum triglyceride levels was similar between the two groups. The N (Nippon) score (total number of risk factor) could significantly predict severe fibrosis in NAFLD patients (1.48 +/- 1.14 vs. 2.66 +/- 0.94, P<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The N score can be used to predict severe fibrosis in cases of NAFLD.
authors.affiliation: The First Department of Internal Medicine, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, Sakamoto, Nagasaki, Japan. miyaaki-hi@umin.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hisamitsu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Miyaaki
authors.forename: Tatsuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ichikawa
authors.forename: Kazuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakao
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yatsuhashi
authors.forename: Ryuji
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Furukawa
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohba
authors.forename: Katsuhisa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Omagari
authors.forename: Yukio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kusumoto
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yanagi
authors.forename: Osami
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Noboru
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kinoshita
authors.forename: Hiromi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ishibashi
authors.forename: Michitami
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yano
authors.forename: Katsumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Eguchi
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D018450:Disease Progression; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D015994:Incidence; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011336:Probability; D011379:Prognosis; D012372:ROC Curve; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution
chemical_list: D000410:Alanine Transaminase