RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DURATION OF TYPE II DIABETES AND HEPATIC STEATOSIS: A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY ON LIVER FAT ACCUMULATION

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To compare the association between duration of type II diabetes mellitus and hepatic steatosis.

METHODOLOGY: This research utilized a cross-sectional study design and was carried out in the Department of General Medicine at Dr. Ruth K.M. Pfau Civil Hospital, Karachi. A total of 186 participants were recruited using a non-probability consecutive sampling method. The study population comprised individuals aged between 30 and 80 years, regardless of gender, who had been diagnosed with type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) for at least one year.

To assess hepatic steatosis, all participants underwent an abdominal fibroscan ultrasound. Data was collected systematically and analyzed using SPSS software version 26.0.

RESULTS: The mean ± standard deviation of age was found to be 54.32 ± 8.07 years. Among them 45.7% were and 54.3% were female patients. The mean± standard deviation of body mass index (BMI) was noted as 25.85 ± 3.67 kg/m². Obesity was documented in 49.5% of participants, hypertension 64.0%, dyslipidemia 23.7% and hypertriglyceridemia was noted in 31.2%. The prevalence of steatosis was identified in 61.2% of patients with type II diabetes mellitus. Those with steatosis had a significantly shorter duration of diabetes as compared to those without steatosis (11.23 ± 3.82 v/s 12.44 ± 4.28 years, p=0.045).

CONCLUSION: The results of this study reveal a notable prevalence of hepatic steatosis among individuals with T2DM, showing a significant correlation with the duration of the disease. These insights emphasize the necessity for routine screening in diabetic patients to enable early identification and timely management. The implementation of such proactive measures can improve preventive and therapeutic modalities thus improving patient care and reducing the complications of diabetes mellitus.