Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease--a risk factor for microalbuminuria in type 2 diabetic patients.
The aim of our study was to assess the presence of microalbuminuria in diabetic subjects with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) compared with diabetic patients without NAFLD and to correlate this with inflammatory markers such as high sensitive C- reactive protein (hsCRP).


METHODS
The study was conducted on 75 diabetic subjects with ultrasonographical NAFLD, in which alcohol consumption and other causes of chronic liver disease have been excluded. The exclusion criteria also included smoking, arterial hypertension, known renal disease. The control group consisted of 70 diabetic patients, matched for age and gender, without ultrasonographical evidence of NAFLD. In all subjects we measured height, weight, BMI, fasting glucose, HbA1c, total cholesterol, LDL and HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, serum transaminases, hsC-reactive protein and microalbuminuria. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.


RESULTS
Microalbuminuria was significantly more frequent in subjects with NAFLD than in controls (12.7% vs 7.8%, p<0.05). Microalbuminuria was positively correlated with hsCRP levels. In conclusion NAFLD is positively correlated with microalbuminuria-marker of early stage CKD, in diabetic patients. This seems to be related to higher levels of proinflammatory factors released by the liver, such as hsCRP.
Casoinic
F
F
University of Medicine and Pharmacy Cluj-Napoca, IVth Medical Clinic, Department of Diabetology, Romania. fcassoinic@yahoo.com
Sâmpelean
D
D
Bădău
Cătălina
C
Prună
Luchiana
L
D000368:Aged; D000419:Albuminuria / Q000209:etiology*; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications*; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors
D002097:C-Reactive Protein