Clinical Research
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2005. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Sep 14, 2005; 11(34): 5314-5321
Published online Sep 14, 2005. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v11.i34.5314
Severity of ultrasonographic liver steatosis and metabolic syndrome in Korean men and women
Hyeon Chang Kim, Sung Hee Choi, Hae Won Shin, Jae Youn Cheong, Kwan Woo Lee, Hyun Chul Lee, Kap Bum Huh, Dae Jung Kim
Hyeon Chang Kim, Department of Preventive Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
Sung Hee Choi, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seongnam, South Korea
Hae Won Shin, Department of Public Health, Graduate School of Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea
Jae Youn Cheong, Department of Gastroenterology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, South Korea
Kwan Woo Lee, Dae Jung Kim, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, South Korea Hyun Chul Lee, Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
Kap Bum Huh, Huh’s Diabetes Center and the 21st Century Diabetes and Vascular Research Institute, Seoul, South Korea
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Correspondence to: Dae Jung Kim, MD, San-5 Wonchon-dong Youngtong-gu, Suwon 443-721, South Korea. djkim@ajou.ac.kr
Telephone: +82-31-219-5128 Fax: +82-31-219-4497
Received: March 16, 2005
Revised: April 1, 2005
Accepted: April 2, 2005
Published online: September 14, 2005
Abstract

AIM: To evaluate the association between the severity of liver steatosis and metabolic syndrome in apparently healthy Korean adults.

METHODS: We examined 1 022 men and women, aged 30-79 years, who participated in a health screening test. A standard interview, anthropometrics, biochemical studies, and abdominal ultrasonography were conducted for each participant. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III, with a modification for the waist circumference cut-off level. The severity of liver steatosis was evaluated using liver ultrasonography, and serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and γ-glutamyl transferase (γ-GT) levels were determined.

RESULTS: Ultrasonographic liver steatosis was strongly associated with metabolic syndrome and common metabolic abnormalities. Compared with people without steatosis, people with mild, moderate, and severe steatosis had adjusted odds ratios for metabolic syndrome of 1.72 (95%CI, 1.01-2.94), 2.89 (1.75-4.76) and 3.53 (1.25-9.98) in men, and 2.86 (1.64-5.01), 3.19 (1.80-5.65) and 3.70 (0.82-16.73) in women, respectively. The serum AST level was not associated with metabolic syndrome. The serum ALT and γ-GT levels were significantly associated with metabolic syndrome in men but not in women.

CONCLUSION: The occurrence of metabolic syndrome shows a stronger association with the severity of ultrasonographic steatosis than with the serum liver enzyme levels. The degree of fatty infiltration detected on ultrasonography can be used as an indicator of liver dysfunction attributable to metabolic abnormalities.

Keywords: Metabolic syndrome; Liver steatosis; Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; Ultrasonography