Impact of standard treatment on the quality of life of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients

OBJECTIVE: Given that non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a major concern in public health, this study evaluates the impact of a standard treatment for NAFLD on the quality of life of affected patients. METHOD: We conducted this study on patients suffering from NAFLD at the gastroenterology clinic of Sina Hospital, Tehran. All patients underwent a standard treatment protocol. We collected information about the demographic, physical, biochemical parameters and the NAFLD fat and quality of life scores using the World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF) and Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire (CLDQ) and evaluated the data at the baseline, three months, and six months post-treatment. Patients were categorized into two groups, namely those with significant weight loss (>5%) and non-significant weight loss (<5%) six months after the start of the treatment. The statistical analysis was performed via SPSS 22. RESULTS: A total of 400 patients (52.1% women, mean age of 49.93 ± 3.01 years) were evaluated. We noticed that 127 patients achieved significant weight loss (31.75%) during the six-month period, while 273 patients did not achieve the weight loss goal (68.25%). No significant differences in demographic parameters were found between the groups. As per the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire and CLDQ, there were significant improvements in the significant weight loss group compared to the non-significant weight loss group. Regression analysis showed that the NAFLD fat scores and baseline alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels were significantly correlated with WHOQOL-BREF outcomes. The CLDQ outcomes were significantly associated with the fibrosis stage, NAFLD activity score, and the presence of diabetes mellitus. CONCLUSION: This study concludes that a standard treatment protocol and weight loss regime can significantly improve the quality of life of NAFLD patients.