title: Apolipoprotein B/AI ratio is independently associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in nondiabetic subjects.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The apolipoprotein B/AI (ApoB/AI) ratio is a strong new risk factor for cardiovascular (CV) disease. Although recent reports have shown the effects of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) on CV disease, NAFLD is under-recognized as a predictable risk factor for CV disease. This study was performed to assess the independent association between ApoB/AI ratio and NAFLD.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional study was performed in 9162 subjects who participated in a health checkup program in South Korea in 2009. The presence of NAFLD was defined by ultrasonographic examination. Logistic regression analysis was applied to estimate the association between ApoB/AI ratio and NAFLD. The odds ratio (OR) and P were estimated according to the categorized level of the ApoB/AI ratio.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall prevalence of NAFLD was 27.9% (n = 2554, 41.7% of the men, 10.8% of the women). Men had a 5.91-fold (95% CI 5.28-6.62) greater risk for NAFLD than women. After adjusting for confounding factors, the ApoB/AI ratio was more closely associated with the prevalence of NAFLD than with any other lipid profiles (OR 8.537 in men, 16.6 in women). NAFLD risk increased as the quartiles of the ApoB/AI ratio increased from the first to the fourth quartile (OR 1.359, 2.173 and 3.124, P for trend < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The ApoB/AI ratio was associated with the prevalence of NAFLD in nondiabetic subjects and was independent of obesity and other metabolic components. This result suggests that NAFLD may provide additional information for atherosclerosis progression and CV risks.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Young Gil
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Choe
authors.forename: Wook
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Yong Kyun
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Won Gil
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Hong Joo
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Woo Kyu
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Jeon
authors.forename: Byung Ik
authors.initials: BI
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016632:Apolipoprotein A-I / Q000097:blood*; D001055:Apolipoproteins B / Q000097:blood*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; D016017:Odds Ratio; D015995:Prevalence; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D016632:Apolipoprotein A-I; D001055:Apolipoproteins B