Assessment of NAFLD cases and its correlation to BMI and metabolic syndrome in healthy blood donors in Kerman.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to review cases of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease cases and to determine the prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease as a cause of elevated alanine aminotransferase in healthy blood donors in the Permian area and also assess risk factors of NAFLD such as BMI and correlation with metabolic syndrome in these subjects.


BACKGROUND
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease has been increasingly recognized as the most common pathological conditions affecting the liver. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is now recognized as the hepatic component of the metabolic syndrome, which includes hyperlipidemia, glucose intolerance, obesity, and systemic hypertension.


METHODS
2002 randomly selected blood donors were recruited for this study. Subjects with elevated serum ALT level (greater than two times the upper limit of normal) were chosen for further follow up. Subjects with a persistently elevated ALT level, evidence of steatosis on computerized tomography and a negative cirrhosis screen (viral hepatitis B and C serology, autoimmune hepatitis, transferrin saturation <45% and a no history of excess alcohol consumption or hepatotoxic medication) were presumed to have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.


RESULTS
378 donors (20.5% of all subjects recruited) had elevated ALT levels at first measurement. 35 cases had persistently elevated serum ALT level. In 22 of these 35 cases (62.9%) non-alcoholic fatty liver disease was the diagnosis. The mean body mass index of the 22 cases was 31.18 ±5.7 and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease was associated with the metabolic syndrome in these subjects.


CONCLUSIONS
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is the most common diagnosis for subjects with elevated serum ALT level in healthy blood donors in Kerman, Iran.
Kerman University of Medical Science, Kerman Iran.
Sadroddin
S
Lahsaee
Blood Donation Center, Afzalipoor Hospital, Kerman University of Medical Science, Kerman Iran.
Alireza
A
Ghazizade
Kerman University of Medical Science, Kerman Iran.
Mahnaz
M
Yazdanpanah
Kerman University of Medical Science, Kerman Iran.
Ahmad
A
Enhesari
Digestive Disease Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Reza
R
Malekzadeh
Blood donors; Body mass index; Metabolic syndrome; Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease