Prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and its association with age in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a risk factor for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). AIM: To determine the prevalence and clinical correlates of NAFLD in a large cohort of patients with T2DM. METHODS: Four hundred thirty-seven participants with T2DM who consulted at Meijo Hospital from April 2019 to September 2020 and underwent computed tomography (CT) were assessed. The mean age was 74 ± 13 years, and 269 were men. Hepatic attenuation minus splenic attenuation (CT(L−S)) less than 1 Hounsfield unit was considered fatty liver. NAFLD was defined as fatty liver in the absence of significant alcohol consumption and hepatitis virus infection. A multiple logistic regression was used to assess the independent factors associated with NAFLD. RESULTS: NAFLD was identified in 25.2% of the participants. Young age (odds ratio [OR] = −0.945; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.922–0.969), higher hemoglobin levels (OR = 1.501, 95%CI: 1.278–1.764), lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels (OR = 0.971, 95%CI: 0.953–0.989), and the absence of dialysis (OR = 0.109, 95%CI: 0.014–0.856) were independent predictors of NAFLD. CONCLUSION: NAFLD was detected with CT in 25.2% of the participants. NAFLD was associated with younger age, higher hemoglobin levels, lower HDL cholesterol levels, and an absence of dialysis.