title: The clinical availability of non alcoholic fatty liver disease as an early predictor of the metabolic syndrome in Korean men: 5-year's prospective cohort study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There were many studies for the clinical association between non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and metabolic syndrome (MetS). However, while most of studies have focused on the unilateral effects of MetS on NAFLD, studies for reverse association were comparatively rare. Therefore, we carried out a prospective cohort study to evaluate the longitudinal effects of NAFLD on the development of MetS according to the degree of NAFLD.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 46,874 men, who had participated in a medical health check-up program in 2005, were enrolled in this study. Out of them, a Mets-free cohort of 11,926 without excluding conditions was followed up until 2010. All participants were classified into 3 groups by their NAFLD status (normal, mild, moderate to severe). The baseline values of metabolic components and the development rates of MetS were compared according to the degree of NAFLD. Cox proportional hazards model was used to measure the hazard ratios (HRs) for MetS according to the degree of NAFLD.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During 41,912.1 person-years of follow-up, 1861 incident cases of MetS developed between 2006 and 2010. Even after adjusting for multiple covariates, the HRs (95% CI) for MetS were higher in the mild group (1.49; 1.30-1.70) and moderate to severe group (2.00; 1.46-2.73) compared to normal group, respectively (P for trend <0.001). These associations were apparent in the clinically relevant subgroup analyses.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  NAFLD was independent risk factor for MetS during the 5-yr follow-up period.
authors: Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.
authors: Jae-Hong
authors: JH
authors: Ryoo
authors: Joong-Myung
authors: JM
authors: Choi
authors: Soo Young
authors: SY
authors: Moon
authors: Young Ju
authors: YJ
authors: Suh
authors: Ju-Young
authors: JY
authors: Shin
authors: Ho Cheol
authors: HC
authors: Shin
authors: Sung Keun
authors: SK
authors: Park
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People; D001794:Blood Pressure; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology; D008875:Middle Aged; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012307:Risk Factors