Waist-to-Hip Ratio and Inflammatory Parameters Are Associated with Risk of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Patients with Morbid Obesity

Autores da FMUP

• João Sérgio De Lima Soares Neves

  Autor

• Catarina Afonso Couto E Vale

  Autor

• Vanessa Alexandra Guerreiro Gonçalves

  Autor

• Paula Isabel Marques Simões De Freitas

  Autor

• Davide Maurício Costa Carvalho

  Autor

Participantes de fora da FMUP

• Canha, M.
• Silva, MM
• Mendon?a, F
• Moreno, T
• Ribeiro, S
• Correa, J
• Gon?alves, J
• Urbano Ferreira, H
• Gil Santos, S
• Sande, A
• B. Souto, S
• Pedro, J
• CRIO, G

Unidades de investigação

• Cirurgia e Fisiologia

• Laboratório Associado RISE- Rede de Investigação em Saúde

  

  Investigador

  Fernando Carlos De Landér Schmitt

• Medicina

• RISE-Health

  

  Investigador

  Fernando Carlos De Landér Schmitt

Abstract

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with several other metabolic disorders, which are typically pro-inflammatory states. Body fat content is an important marker of metabolic health and abdominal fat is associated with harmful cardiometabolic outcomes. We aimed to evaluate the association between the risk of NAFLD (through Fatty Liver Index (FLI), and BMI, AST/ALT ratio, and presence of diabetes (BARD)), and anthropometric parameters, predictors of metabolic status, in patients with morbid obesity, and to evaluate the association of FLI and BARD scores with pro-inflammatory markers. We have retrospectively studied patients with morbid obesity followed in our center. In total, 2184 participants were included, with an average age of 42.8 +/- 10.6 years, 84.5% being females. We report a positive association of FLI with waist circumference (beta = 0.10 [0.09 to 0.11], p < 0.01) and waist-to-hip ratio (beta = 8.68 [6.85 to 10.52, p < 0.01]), even after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, diabetes, and dyslipidemia (p < 0.01 for both adjusted models). The associations of BARD with anthropometric measures were significant only in the non-adjusted model. There was a positive association between both FLI and BARD and C-reactive protein. Our results point towards a positive association between waist-to-hip ratio and the risk of hepatic steatosis, and between pro-inflammatory markers and both hepatic steatosis and fibrosis.

Keywords

• NAFLD; waist circumference; waist-to-hip ratio; inflammation