Prevalence and Characteristics of Metabolic-Associated Fatty Liver Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study

Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is the concurrent presence of fatty liver disease (FLD) with overweight or obesity and/or type 2 diabetes mellitus. We aimed to determine the frequency and characteristics of MAFLD in patients with FLD.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 143 patients with FLD referred to the gastrointestinal clinic of Shahid Rahimi Hospital in Khorramabad, Iran in 2021-2022. After obtaining a detailed medical history and in case of clinical suspicion of FLD, the levels of functional liver enzymes, fasting blood sugar (FBS), and lipid profile were measured. Furthermore, an ultrasound study of the liver was performed. The degree of insulin resistance was determined by the Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA) index. The data were gathered in a checklist and analyzed using SPSS software version 22.

The mean FBS was 93.15 ± 16.21 mg/dL, and the mean serum insulin levels were 7.88 ± 15.81 mmol/L. The mean triglyceride level was 82.13 ± 172.13 mg/dL, and the mean high-density lipoprotein was 37.27 ± 7.15 mg/dL. In this study, 105 patients (73.4%) had high HOMA indexes. Serum alkaline phosphatase, alanine transaminase, and cholesterol levels were significantly higher in patients with high HOMA index than in those with normal index (P values = 0.004, 0.047, and 0.039, respectively).

There appears to be a strong relationship between insulin resistance and impaired liver function in patients with FLD, indicating the necessity for managing insulin resistance in these patients.