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Meta-Analysis
. 2015 May 14;21(18):5695-706.
doi: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i18.5695.

Prevalence of fatty liver disease and the economy in China: A systematic review

Jin-Zhou Zhu  1 , Qin-Yi Zhou  1 , Yu-Ming Wang  1 , Yi-Ning Dai  1 , Jiang Zhu  1 , Chao-Hui Yu  1 , You-Ming Li  1
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Prevalence of fatty liver disease and the economy in China: A systematic review

Jin-Zhou Zhu et al. World J Gastroenterol. .

Abstract

Aim: To investigate the relationship between the economy and the adult prevalence of fatty liver disease (FLD) in mainland China.

Methods: Literature searches on the PubMed and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure databases were performed to identify eligible studies published before July 2014. Records were limited to cross-sectional surveys or baseline surveys of longitudinal studies that reported the adult prevalence of FLD and recruited subjects from the general population or community. The gross domestic product (GDP) per capita was chosen to assess the economic status. Multiple linear regression and Loess regression were chosen to fit the data and calculate the 95%CIs. Fitting and overfitting of the models were considered in choosing the appropriate models.

Results: There were 27 population-based surveys from 26 articles included in this study. The pooled mean prevalence of FLD in China was 16.73% (95%CI: 13.92%-19.53%). The prevalence of FLD was correlated with the GDP per capita and survey years in the country (adjusted R (2) = 0.8736, P GDP per capita = 0.00426, P years = 0.0000394), as well as in coastal areas (R (2) = 0.9196, P GDP per capita = 0.00241, P years = 0.00281). Furthermore, males [19.28% (95%CI: 15.68%-22.88%)] presented a higher prevalence than females [14.1% (95%CI: 11.42%-16.61%), P = 0.0071], especially in coastal areas [21.82 (95%CI: 17.94%-25.71%) vs 17.01% (95%CI: 14.30%-19.89%), P = 0.0157]. Finally, the prevalence was predicted to reach 20.21% in 2020, increasing at a rate of 0.594% per year.

Conclusion: This study reveals a correlation between the economy and the prevalence of FLD in mainland China.

Keywords: Economy; Epidemiology; Fatty liver disease; Gross domestic product per capita; Prevalence.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart of the study evaluation process.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Prevalence in China.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Comparisons of the prevalence of fatty liver disease according to gender and region. A: All: Interior areas vs coastal areas; B: Females: interior areas vs coastal areas; C: Males: interior areas vs coastal areas; D: All: females vs males; E: Interior areas: females vs males; F: Coastal areas: females vs males.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Correlations of the prevalence with the gross domestic product per capita and survey years. A: The general prevalence; B: The prevalence in males; C: The prevalence in females (Black spots: Studies in coastal areas; Red spots: Studies in interior areas). Survey years and changes of the prevalence according to the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita; D: The general prevalence; E: The prevalence in males; F: The prevalence in females (Red spots: Studies in coastal areas; Green spots: Studies in interior areas).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Estimated prevalence of fatty liver disease from 2013 to 2020, based on the current trend.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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