title: Regional prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do, Korea.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in Korea has increased recently. The aim of the present study was to determine the regional differences in the prevalence and characteristics of NAFLD.
  
  
  METHODS
  From January 2009 to December 2010, 161,891 Seoul and Gyeonggi-do residents receiving a health examination at our institution were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. After applying exclusion criteria, the data of 141,610 subjects (80,943 males, 60,667 females) were analyzed. The presence of NAFLD was established by ultrasound examination.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall prevalence of NAFLD was 27.3% (38.3% in men, 12.6% in women). When standardized according to age, area, and sex, the prevalence of NAFLD was 25.2%. The age and area standardized prevalence of NAFLD was higher for men (34.4%) than for women (12.2%; P<0.001). The overall prevalence of NAFLD was higher in Gyeonggi-do (27.7%) than in Seoul (26.9%; P<0.001). Among the men, the prevalence of NAFLD was higher in Gyeonggi-do (39.2%) than in Seoul (37.4%; P<0.001), while for the women it was higher in Seoul (13.2%) than in Gyeonggi-do (12.0%; P<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The regional prevalence of NAFLD differed between Seoul and Gyeonggi-do. Further studies are needed to establish the etiology of this difference.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Eun Haeng
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.forename: Dae Won
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Jun
authors.forename: Yong Kyun
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Young Gil
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Choe
authors.forename: Seungho
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ryu
authors.forename: Seung Min
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Eun Chul
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Jang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; D015995:Prevalence; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D014463:Ultrasonography; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Body mass index; Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; Prevalence