title: Assessment of liver fat content using quantitative ultrasonography to evaluate risks for metabolic diseases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The ultrasound quantitative method for liver fat content (LFC) is a recent established method for non-invasive assessment of liver steatosis. Its use in clinical practice is further explored by investigating the quantitative relationships between LFC measured by quantitative ultrasonography and metabolic diseases in a middle-aged and elderly Chinese population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Liver fat content was measured by the quantitative ultrasound method in 4,916 participants from the Shanghai Changfeng Community Study. The anthropometric and serum biochemical parameters related to glucose and lipid metabolism were detected for each participant. The carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT) was measured by ultrasonography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The LFC displayed a non-Gaussian and positively skewed distribution in the community population and was significantly correlated with body weight, serum glucose, lipid profile, and CIMT. The 95th percentile of LFC in the subgroup of participants without any metabolic disease was 10.8%, and a LFC ≥ 10% was correlated with remarkable increases in the risks for glucose and lipid metabolic diseases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The quantitative ultrasound method that was developed for measuring LFC was useful in a population study. A LFC ≥ 10% might help to identify the subjects with an increased risk for metabolic diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Ming-Feng
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bian
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Hong-Mei
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Huan-Dong
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Xin-Xia
authors.initials: XX
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Ming
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasonography, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Wan-Yuan
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Statistics and Social Medicine, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Nai-Qing
authors.initials: NQ
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Pu
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gao
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D008297:Male; D008659:Metabolic Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D005947:Glucose