Clinical implications of fatty pancreas: Correlations between fatty pancreas and metabolic syndrome

Table 1 Clinical and laboratory characteristics of study groups

	Non-fatty pancreas (n = 113)	Fatty pancreas (n = 180)	P-value
Age (yr)	44.4 ± 9.7	45.4 ± 8.5	NS
Sex (male/female)	34/79	93/87	< 0.001
BMI (kg/m2)	24.4 ± 3.2	26.5 ± 3.1	< 0.001
WC (cm)	82.1 ± 9.3	88.9 ± 8.5	< 0.001
Visceral Fat(mm2)	7462 ± 3244	10767 ± 4260	< 0.001
AST (IU/L)	23.8 ± 11.1	30.2 ± 20.7	0.001
ALT (IU/L)	25.0 ± 23.0	40.3 ± 32.2	< 0.001
FBS (mg/dL)	99.7 ± 24.0	102.9 ± 26.2	NS
TC (mg/dL)	192.9 ± 36.4	205.2 ± 35.2	0.005
TG (mg/dL)	119.6 ± 70.3	159.8 ± 92.5	< 0.001
LDL (mg/dL)	118.6 ± 36.3	124.8 ± 27.4	NS
HDL (mg/dL)	51.9 ± 10.1	47.7 ± 10.6	0.001
γ-GT (mg/dL)	29.9 ± 29.9	46.5 ± 43.0	< 0.001
Fasting insulin (&mgr;U/mL)	5.4 ± 2.1	6.8 ± 3.6	< 0.001
HOMR-IR	2.3 ± 1.0	3.2 ± 2.1	< 0.001
FFA (mg/dL)	639.3 ± 287.6	767.9 ± 324.9	0.001

P < 0.05 by t-test; NS: Not significant; BMI: Body mass index; WC: Waist circumference; AST: Aspartate aminotransferase; ALT: Alanine aminotransferase; FBS: Fasting blood sugar; TC: Total cholesterol; TG: Triglyceride; HDL: High density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL: Low density lipoprotein cholesterol; γ-GT: Gamma glutamyl transpeptidase; FFA: Free fatty acid.

Table 2 Multivariate logistic regression analysis for the fatty pancreas

Model		Odds ratio (95% CI)	P-value
Model 1	Age (yr)	1.025 (0.999-1.051)	0.059
	Sex (male/female)	0.397 (1.474-4.311)	0.001
	Fasting glucose (mg/dL)	0.998 (0.987-1.010)	0.747
	HOMA-IR	2.319 (1.431-3.757)	0.001
Model 2	Model 1
	(HOMA-IR)	1.761 (1.041-2.978)	0.035
	+
	TC (mg/dL)	1.005 (0.998-1.013)	0.184
	TG (mg/dL)	1.004 (1.000-1.008)	0.060
	FFA (mg/dL)	1.000 (0.999-1.001)	0.409
Model 3	Model 2
	(HOMA-IR)	0.990 (0.533-1.839)	0.973
	+
	BMI (kg/m2)	1.137 (0.965-1.339)	0.125
	Visceral fat	1.000 (1.000-1.000)	0.006
	Subcutaneous fat	1.000 (1.000-1.000)	0.932
	Thigh fat	1.000 (1.000-1.000)	0.214

Model 1: HOMA-IR and fasting glucose were adjusted for age, sex; Model 2: In addition to Model I, HOMA-IR and fasting glucose were adjusted for lipid profiles (TC, TG, FFA); Model 3: In addition to Model II, HOMA-IR and fasting glucose were adjusted for BMI and fat distribution factors (abdominal visceral fat area, abdominal subcutaneous fat area, thigh fat area). P < 0.05 was considered to be significant throughout the analysis.

Table 3 Prevalence of metabolic syndrome and metabolic components in the fatty pancreas

	Non-fatty pancreas	Fatty pancreas	1P-value
Metabolic syndrome	24 (23.1%)	80 (76.9%)	< 0.001
Number2	1.4 ± 1.2	2.3 ± 1.4	< 0.001

¹P < 0.05 by chi-square (χ²) test;

²Number: Number of metabolic components.

Table 4 Univariate correlation between ultrasonographic severity of fatty pancreas and several metabolic parameters

	Ultrasonographic severity of fatty pancreas (γ)	P-value
HOMA-IR	0.250	< 0.001
Visceral fat	0.396	< 0.001
TG (mg/dL)	0.245	< 0.001
ALT (IU/L)	0.276	< 0.001

γ: Correlation coefficient.