title: Exploration of a symptoms experience in people with obesity-related nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a highly prevalent condition strongly associated with obesity that can result in premature death. Little is known about the symptoms experience in this progressive disease, preventing health care providers from intervening in the early stages.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study explicated symptoms in persons with NAFLD at higher risk of disease progression defined as the presence of one or two copies of the PNPLA3 (rs738409)-G allele.
  
  
  METHODS
  Guided by the Symptoms Experience Model, 42 persons older than 21 years of age with diagnosed NAFLD were recruited from Western Michigan specialty offices in this cross-sectional descriptive study design. The Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale was used to measure the symptoms experience.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Participants (97%) experienced 1 or more symptoms (average number of symptoms 12.02, standard deviation = 8.817). There was no statistically significant relationship between symptoms and the PNPLA3 (rs738409) variants. Significant predictors of mean frequency, severity, and distress of symptoms (the Total Memorial Symptom Scale) (F[15, 25] = 2.609, p = .016) were identified.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  People with NAFLD experience an average of 12 symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Kirkhof College of Nursing, Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids, MI, USA. houghtol@gvsu.edu
authors.forename: Lori D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Houghton-Rahrig
authors.forename: Debra L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Schutte
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: von Eye
authors.forename: Jenifer I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Fenton
authors.forename: Barbara A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Given
authors.forename: Norman G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Hord
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005819:Genetic Markers; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008049:Lipase; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications*; D063189:Symptom Assessment; D000217:Acyltransferases; D054512:Phospholipases A2, Calcium-Independent
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers; D008049:Lipase; D008565:Membrane Proteins; C533682:PNPLA3 protein, human; D000217:Acyltransferases; D054512:Phospholipases A2, Calcium-Independent
keywords: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; PNPLA3; Symptoms experience