title: Prevalence and features of fatty liver detected by physical examination in Guangzhou.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the prevalence of fatty liver discovered upon physical examination of Chinese patients and determine the associated clinical characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 3433 consecutive patients who received physical examinations at the Huangpu Division of the First Affiliated Hospital at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China from June 2010 to December 2010 were retrospectively enrolled in the study. Results of biochemical tests, abdominal ultrasound, electrocardiography, and chest X-ray were collected. The diagnosis of fatty liver was made if a patient met any two of the three following ultrasonic criteria: (1) liver and kidney echo discrepancy and presence of an increased liver echogenicity (bright); (2) unclear intrahepatic duct structure; and (3) liver far field echo decay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study population consisted of 2201 males and 1232 females, with a mean age of 37.4 ± 12.8 years. When all 3433 patients were considered, the overall prevalence of hyperlipidemia was 38.1%, of fatty liver was 26.0%, of increased alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and/or aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels was 11.9%, of gallstone was 11.4%, of hyperglycemia was 7.3%, of hypertension was 7.1%, and of hyperuricemia was 6.2%. Of the 2605 patients who completed the abdominal ultrasonography exam, 677 (26.0%) were diagnosed with fatty liver and the prevalence was higher in males (32.5% vs females: 15.3%, P < 0.001). The overall prevalence of fatty liver increased with age, with the peak prevalence (39.5%) found in the 60 to 70-year-old age group. Among patients between the ages of 18 to 50-year-old, the prevalence of fatty liver was significantly higher in males (20.2% vs females: 8.7%, P < 0.001); the difference in prevalence between the two sexes in patients > 50-year-old did not reach statistical significance. Only 430 of the patients diagnosed with fatty liver had complete information; among those, increased ALT and/or AST levels were detected in only 30%, with all disturbances being mild or moderate. In these 430 patients, the overall prevalence of hypertriglyceridemia was 31.4%, of mixed type hyperlipidemia was 20.9%, of hypercholesterolemia was 12.3%, of hyperglycemia was 17.6%, of hypertension was 16.0%, of hyperuricemia was 15.3%, and of gallstone was 14.4%. Again, the prevalences of hypertriglyceridemia and hyperuricemia were higher in males (hypertriglyceridemia, 36.0% vs females: 12.0%, P < 0.05; hyperuricemia, 17.3% vs females: 7.2%, P < 0.05); in contrast, however, the prevalences of mixed type hyperlipidemia and hypercholesterolemia was higher in females (mixed type hyperlipidemia, 18.7% vs females: 30.1%, P < 0.05, hypercholesterolemia, 9.5% vs females: 24.1%, P < 0.05). Finally, comparison of the fatty liver group to the non-fatty liver group showed that prevalences of hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, hypertension, and hyperuricemia were higher in the former (all P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A high prevalence of fatty liver is detected upon physical examination in Guangzhou, and the primary associated clinical findings are hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, hypertension, and hyperuricemia.
authors: Department of Gastroenterology, Huangpu Division of the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510700, Guangdong Province, China.
authors: Xian-Hua
authors: XH
authors: Liao
authors: Xu
authors: X
authors: Cao
authors: Jie
authors: J
authors: Liu
authors: Xiao-Hua
authors: XH
authors: Xie
authors: Yan-Hong
authors: YH
authors: Sun
authors: Bi-Hui
authors: BH
authors: Zhong
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006943:Hyperglycemia / Q000453:epidemiology; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000453:epidemiology; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology; D033461:Hyperuricemia / Q000453:epidemiology; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; D010808:Physical Examination; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014463:Ultrasonography; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers
keywords: Fatty liver; Hyperglycemia; Hyperlipidemia; Hypertension; Nonalcoholic; Prevalence
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