Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver, Steatohepatitis, and the Metabolic Syndrome

Abstract

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been associated with the insulin-resistance syndrome, at present defined as the metabolic syndrome, whose limits were recently set. We assessed the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in 304 consecutive NAFLD patients without overt diabetes, on the basis of 3 or more criteria out of 5 defined by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (waist circumference, glucose, high-density lipoprotein [HDL]-cholesterol, triglycerides, and arterial pressure). The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome increased with increasing body mass index, from 18% in normal-weight subjects to 67% in obesity. Insulin resistance (Homeostasis Model Assessment method) was significantly associated with the metabolic syndrome (odds ratio [OR], 2.5; 95% CI, 1.5-4.2; P <.001). Li