Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease severity is associated with the ratios of total cholesterol and triglycerides to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol

Abstract

Background: Limited data support the notion that lipid ratios are risk factors for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We evaluated the association between lipid ratios and NAFLD.

Methods: This was a large population, cross-sectional, retrospective study. Data on NAFLD severity, blood pressure, fasting glucose, total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels were obtained from 44,767 examinees at single health checkup center. The enrollees were stratified into four subgroups based on their TC/HDL-C and TG/HDL-C ratios. We used multivariate analyses to evaluate the odds between lipid ratios and NAFLD.

Results: The prevalence rate of fatty liver in this study was 53.76%. In the baseline subgroup with the lowest TC/HDL-C and TG/HDL-C ratios, the prevalence of NAFLD, hypertension, and diabetes was lower than that of the other three subgroups. Patients with higher lipid ratios had a significantly greater risk for advanced NAFLD.

Conclusions: Adults with high TC/HDL-C or TG/HDL-C ratios, or both, have a greater risk for NAFLD, especially advanced NAFLD.

Keywords: Diabetes; Hepatic steatosis; Hypertension; Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD); Ultrasound.