An Investigation of the Relationship between Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver and Corticosteroid Use

The prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver is one of the major health problems in the society, which is mainly caused by obesity and the use of certain drugs. The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between non-alcoholic fatty liver and corticosteroid use. This case-control study was performed on 76 patients with normal BMI in two groups of 38 (with or without non-alcoholic fatty liver). The groups were matched according to age and gender and were compared regarding at least 6 months of corticosteroid use and suffering from non-alcoholic fatty liver. FINDINGS: Of 76 patients who were included in the study, 51 (65.4%) were male. 26% (20 people) of the case group and only 3.9% (3 people) of the control group used corticosteroid. The results showed significant effect of corticosteroid on fatty liver disease (p<0.001). In addition, the two variables of gender and corticosteroid use could predict 32% of changes in fatty liver. In this study, odds ratio in men was almost 6 times higher than women (CI-95%: 2.04–17.54, OR=5.92) (p<0.001). The odds ratio of developing fatty liver disease in the corticosteroid group was almost 13% higher than those who did not use corticosteroid (CI-95%: 3.94 – 49.51, OR = 12.96). The results of this study showed that the effect of corticosteroid use on the fatty liver, especially among men, is significant.