Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2016 Feb 9:14:18.
doi: 10.1186/s12955-016-0420-z.

Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is associated with impairment of Health Related Quality of Life (HRQOL)

Pegah Golabi  1 , Munkhzul Otgonsuren  2 , Rebecca Cable  3 , Sean Felix  4 , Aaron Koenig  5 , Mehmet Sayiner  6 , Zobair M Younossi  7   8
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is associated with impairment of Health Related Quality of Life (HRQOL)

Pegah Golabi et al. Health Qual Life Outcomes. .

Abstract

Background: NAFLD impacts patient reported outcomes (PROs). Our aim was to assess the impact of NAFLD on patients' HRQOL.

Methods: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2001-2011 data were used to identify adult patients with NAFLD [Fatty Liver Index (FLI) > 60 in absence of other liver disease and excessive alcohol >20 g/day for men, >10 g/day for women]. Patients with other chronic diseases (ex. HIV, cancer, end-stage kidney disease) were excluded. Subjects without any of these conditions were healthy controls. HCV RNA (+) patients were HCV-controls. All patients completed NHANES HRQOL-4 questionnaire. Linear regression determined the association between NAFLD and HRQOL components adjusting for age, gender, race, and BMI.

Results: Participants with complete data were included (n = 9661); 3333 NAFLD (age 51 years and BMI 34 kg/m(2)); 346 HCV+ (age 49 years; BMI 27 kg/m(2)) and 5982 healthy controls (age 48 years and BMI 26 kg/m(2)). The proportion of subjects rating their health as "fair" or "poor" in descending order were HCV controls (30 %) NAFLD (20 %) and healthy controls (10 %) (p < 0.001). HRQOL-4 components scores 2-4 were lowest for HCV, followed by NAFLD and then healthy controls (p-values p = 0.011 to < .0001). After adjustment for age, gender, race, and BMI, NAFLD patients were 18-20 % more likely to report days when their physical health wasn't good or were unable to perform daily activities as a result (p < .0001).

Conclusions: NAFLD causes impairment of HRQOL. As NAFLD is becoming the most important cause of CLD, its clinical and PRO impact must be assessed.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow chart for Eligibility, NHANES, 2001-2012
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Adjusted* mean HRQOL components (C2-C4) by liver disease, and pair-wise comparisons (t-test), NHANES, 2001–2011
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Hamaguchi M, Takeda N, Kojima T, Ohbora A, Kato T, Sarui H, et al. Identification of individuals with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by the diagnostic criteria for the metabolic syndrome. World J Gastroenterol. 2012;18:1508–16. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v18.i13.1508. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Dyson JK, Anstee QM, McPherson S. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a practical approach to treatment. Frontline Gastroenterol. 2014;5:277–86. doi: 10.1136/flgastro-2013-100404. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Younossi ZM, Otgonsuren M, Henry L, Venkatesan C, Mishra A, Erario M, et al. Association of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) with Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) in the United States from 2004-2009. Hepatology. 2015 - PubMed
    1. Rinella ME. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a systematic review. JAMA. 2015;313:2263–73. doi: 10.1001/jama.2015.5370. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Chalasani N, Younossi Z, Lavine JE, Diehl AM, Brunt EM, Cusi K, et al. The diagnosis and management of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: practice Guideline by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, American College of Gastroenterology, and the American Gastroenterological Association. Hepatology. 2012;55:2005–23. doi: 10.1002/hep.25762. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types