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Comparative Study
. 2018 Feb 6;11(1):101.
doi: 10.1186/s13104-018-3212-1.

Laboratory parameters in lean NAFLD: comparison of subjects with lean NAFLD with obese subjects without hepatic steatosis

Philipp Bernhardt  1 , Wolfgang Kratzer  2 , Julian Schmidberger  1 , Tilmann Graeter  3 , Beate Gruener  4 ; EMIL Study Group
Collaborators, Affiliations
Comparative Study

Laboratory parameters in lean NAFLD: comparison of subjects with lean NAFLD with obese subjects without hepatic steatosis

Philipp Bernhardt et al. BMC Res Notes. .

Abstract

Objective: Search for meaningful laboratory and anthropometric parameters in lean non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (lean NAFLD) in the general population. Out of 2445 subjects in a random population sample, we compared those who had a body mass index (BMI) < 25 and a fatty liver [lean NAFLD (LN), n = 5] with obese subjects who had a BMI > 30 but no fatty liver [non-NAFLD (NN), n = 27] in a follow-up examination. Ultrasonic, anthropometric and laboratory parameters were collected.

Results: There were significant differences (p < 0.05) between the LN and the NN groups with respect to serum ferritin (199.2 ± 72.1 LN vs 106.0 ± 89.6 NN), haemoglobin (14.9 ± 0.8 LN vs 13.5 ± 1.2 NN), haematocrit (0.438 ± 0.019 LN vs 0.407 ± 0.035 NN) and Mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (34 ± 0.6 LN vs 33.2 ± 0.8 NN). Significantly lower values of soluble transferrin receptor were measured in the LN group (2.8 ± 0.4 LN vs 3.8 ± 1.5 NN). In both groups, the measured HOMA-IR index (homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance index) (2.3; normal range ≤ 1) was abnormal. Mean cholesterol (6.2 ± 1.4 LN and 5.6 ± 1.1 NN) and low-density lipoprotein levels (3.8 ± 1.0 LN 3.4 ± 0.9 NN) were above the upper limit of normal in both groups, as was the mean triglycerides level in the LN group (2.6 ± 2.0). In summary, there are differences in parameters of iron and fat metabolism between subjects with LN and overweight subjects without fatty liver infiltration.

Keywords: Ferritin; Haematocrit; Haemoglobin; Mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration; Waist-to-hip ratio; lean NAFLD.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Composition of the subject population for the EMIL IIa study in 2013, showing the recruitment of subjects out of the EMIL I study population from 2002. EMIL, Echinococcus multilocularis and other medical conditions in Leutkirch; lean NAFLD, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in slim people (BMI < 25); non-NAFLD, subjects with a high BMI (> 30) and no hepatic steatosis
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Box plots of haemoglobin/haematocrit/MCHC/ferritin and STFR values for the subject groups of lean NAFLD and non-NAFLD in the EMIL IIa study, Ulm University, 2013. EMIL: Echinococcus multilocularis and other medical conditions in Leutkirch; lean NAFLD = non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in slim people (BMI < 25); non-NAFLD = subjects with a high BMI (> 30) and no hepatic steatosis. Legend: upper whisker = maximum, lower whisker = minimum, rhombus = mean value of the data set, grey horizontal line in box = median, lower and upper end of box = lower (first, 25th percentile) and upper (third, 75th percentile) quartile
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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