Prevalence of Liver Function Test Abnormality and Associated Factors in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND: Determining liver biomarkers can help to screen and facilitate early management of potential liver diseases. However, such studies are scarce in the present study area. Therefore, our study planned to assess the prevalence of liver function test abnormality and associated factors among Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) patients. METHODS: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted at the University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital from January 1, 2018 to May 20, 2018 among 159 T2DM patients and 159 nondiabetic controls. Clinical, lifestyle, anthropometric data and 5 ml of blood were collected from all study subjects. Liver function tests (LFTs), lipid profiles and fasting blood sugar were determined. Systematic random sampling technique was used to select the study subjects. Binary logistic regression and bivariate correlation was used to assess association of factors with outcomes and p value of ≤0.05 was considered as significant. RESULTS: Overall, 53 (33.3%) of T2DM had one or more liver test abnormality above the upper limit of the normal (ULN) reference range. Alanine aminotransferase was the most frequently raised liver enzyme in T2DM (n=37, 23.3%). The mean value of LFTs was significantly different between T2DM and the control group. Alcohol drink, sex and age were found to be a significant factor for impairment of LFTs. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of abnormal LFTs was higher in T2DM patients than nondiabetic control group. Hence, we recommended the utilization of LFTs to monitor liver conditions in T2DM patients.