Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has a known association with obesity, which is known to be associated with metabolic syndrome (MS). The risk factors for NAFLD; however, in absence of obesity (leanness) are not appreciated.

The present study assessed and compared the clinical characteristics, metabolic associations, and cardiovascular risk factors among NAFLD patients with (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 23 kg/m²) or without obesity (BMI < 23 kg/m²).

Outdoor and indoor patients diagnosed with NAFLD by ultrasonography in a tertiary care teaching hospital in eastern India were enrolled in the study. Patients were subjected to anthropometric measurements, laboratory investigations, and imaging studies.

Overall, 120 NAFLD patients were studied. Of these, 30.8% were lean, and 69.2% were obese. The components of MS were comparable among patients with obese and lean NAFLD. The measures were as follows:

• Systolic blood pressure: lean, 138.0 ± 6 mmHg; obese, 137.9 ± 15.3 mmHg
• Diastolic blood pressure: lean, 88.9 ± 5 mmHg; obese, 87.3 ± 6.1 mmHg
• Fasting blood sugar: lean, 127.8 ± 8 mg/dL; obese, 135.1 ± 29.5 mg/dL
• Serum triglycerides: lean, 170.5 ± 2 mg/dL; obese, 186.4 ± 43.8 mg/dL.

These components were more frequently abnormal among both the NAFLD groups compared with controls.

The overall prevalence of MS among NAFLD patients was estimated as 64.2%. Lean NAFLD was also found to be associated with the component of MS like obese NAFLD.

Source: Sinha N, Mukhopadhyay S, Sau M. Metabolic syndrome is not uncommon among lean non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients as compared with those with obesity. Indian J Gastroenterol. 2020 Feb;39(1):75-83.