title: Free triiodothyronine levels are positively associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in euthyroid middle-aged subjects.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Studies on the relationship between thyroid function and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) among euthyroid subjects have produced conflicting results.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to investigate the association between thyroid function and the presence of NAFLD in a large-sample middle-aged euthyroid subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 2576 euthyroid subjects who underwent health check-up were included. NAFLD was diagnosed by hepatic ultrasonography. Conventional risk factors for NAFLD were assessed as well as serum levels of TSH, FT3 and FT4.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Levels of FT3 were significantly higher in NAFLD group (5.12 ± 0.58 versus 4.84 ± 0.58 pmol/L, adjusted p = 0.000) than non-NAFLD group, while levels of TSH and FT4 were comparable between NAFLD and non-NAFLD groups (TSH: 2.13 ± 0.90 versus 2.20 ± 0.93 mIU/L, adjusted p = 0.190; FT4: 16.41 ± 2.04 versus 16.18 ± 2.06 pmol/L, adjusted p = 0.146, respectively). Levels of FT3 were positively correlated with components of metabolic syndrome. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that high level of FT3 was an independent predictor for NAFLD (odds ratio: 1.253, p = 0.040). The relationship between FT4 and NAFLD in women was different according to menopausal status, with negative association in pre-menopausal women (OR: 0.777, 95% CI: 0.617-0.979, p = 0.032) and null association in post-menopausal women (OR: 1.037, 95% CI: 0.841-1.277, p = 0.736).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggested that high levels of FT3 were significantly associated with NAFLD among middle-aged euthyroid subjects independently of known metabolic risk factors. A negative correlation of serum FT4 level with NAFLD was only observed in pre-menopausal women.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Endocrinology , Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University , Jinan , People's Republic of China .|b First Department of Geriatrics Taian City Central Hospital , Taian , People's Republic of China .
authors.forename: Guoli
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: c Department of General Surgery , Taian City Central Hospital , Taian , People's Republic of China , and.
authors.forename: Xiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: d Center of Health Management, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University , Jinan , People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Liying
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.affiliation: b First Department of Geriatrics Taian City Central Hospital , Taian , People's Republic of China .
authors.forename: Zhi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: d Center of Health Management, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University , Jinan , People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Haiyan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: a Department of Endocrinology , Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University , Jinan , People's Republic of China .
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: a Department of Endocrinology , Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University , Jinan , People's Republic of China .
authors.forename: Nan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: a Department of Endocrinology , Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University , Jinan , People's Republic of China .
authors.forename: Yikun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: a Department of Endocrinology , Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University , Jinan , People's Republic of China .
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: a Department of Endocrinology , Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University , Jinan , People's Republic of China .
authors.forename: Chunxiao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: a Department of Endocrinology , Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University , Jinan , People's Republic of China .
authors.forename: Qingbo
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Guan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008593:Menopause / Q000097:blood*; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000097:blood*; D014284:Triiodothyronine / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D014284:Triiodothyronine; D013974:Thyroxine
keywords: Free triiodothyronine; free thyroxine; non-alcoholic fatty liver disease