title: Prevalence and risk factors for the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in a nonobese Chinese population: the Zhejiang Zhenhai Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The precise prevalence and risk factors for the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in nonobese adults remains unclear. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of NAFLD and risk factors for its development in a nonobese Chinese population.
  
  
  METHODS
  We firstly investigated the prevalence and factors associated with the presence of NAFLD in nonobese (body mass index (BMI) <25 kg/m(2)) Chinese subjects via a cross-sectional study, and then analyzed the risk factors for the development of NAFLD via a subsequent prospective 5-year follow-up of the same population.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 6,905 nonobese subjects were enrolled in the cross-sectional study. Baseline evaluation revealed that the prevalence of NAFLD was 7.27%. A total of 5,562 subjects who were free of NAFLD at baseline completed the follow-up study, and 494 (8.88%) had developed NAFLD during the 5-year follow-up. Further analyses revealed that age, gender, BMI, waist circumference, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, serum uric acid, hemoglobin, and platelet count were independently associated with the presence and development of NAFLD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  NAFLD is prevalent in the nonobese Chinese population, and a substantial proportion of subjects developed NAFLD over the 5-year follow-up period. Special attention should be paid to the factors associated with the presence and development of NAFLD in nonobese subjects, to improve prevention and management of NAFLD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Chengfu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Chaohui
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Han
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miao
authors.forename: Youming
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; D015995:Prevalence; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D055105:Waist Circumference
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers