Liver fibrosis is associated with risk for colorectal adenoma in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with risks for developing colorectal adenoma. This study aimed to evaluate the association between advanced fibrosis in NAFLD and the risk for colorectal adenoma. We retrospectively analyzed the data of 6332 adults who underwent abdominal ultrasound and 1st-time colonoscopy on the same day in a health screening program at a single center. We evaluated the presence of advanced fibrosis in NAFLD using various noninvasive score, which also analyzed the detection rate of colorectal adenoma according to the presence of advanced fibrosis in NAFLD. The subjects with NAFLD had a higher prevalence of colorectal adenoma. In the multivariate analysis, NAFLD was an independent risk factor for colorectal adenoma (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.15; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02–1.30), advanced adenoma (adjusted OR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.12–2.01), and multiple adenomas (adjusted OR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.01–1.73). When NAFLD was further stratified based on the stage of fibrosis using the noninvasive score models, the subjects with NAFLD and advanced fibrosis had a significantly higher risk for colorectal adenoma, advanced adenoma, and multiple adenomas than those with NAFLD without advanced fibrosis. NAFLD with advanced fibrosis might be risk factor for colorectal adenoma compared with NAFLD without advanced fibrosis.