METABOLIC SYNDROME AND ITS DETERMINANTS IN NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE PATIENTS: A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL ANALYSIS

Abstract

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its components in NAFLD patients attending a tertiary care centre and to identify the determinants of metabolic syndrome in these patients.

METHODOLOGY

This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out at Dr. Ruth K.M. Pfau Civil Hospital, Karachi on NAFLD patients (20–60 years old) for duration of ≥6 months. Exclusion criteria were chronic liver disease, autoimmune hepatitis, heavy alcohol users, renal failure and the use of hepatotoxic drugs. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to the NCEP-ATP III criteria. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS 26, and p ≤ 0.05 was defined as the criterion for statistical significance.

RESULTS

The average age of study participants was 43.51 ± 11.58 years. Among the 192 patients, 102(53.1%) were males and 90 (46.9%) were females. Metabolic syndrome (Mets) was reported in 105 (54.68%) patients. The determinants significantly associated (p=0.0001); with high blood pressure (61%), raised blood glucose (62.9%), increased waist circumference (81%), raised serum triglycerides level (78.1%), and low HDL level (88.6%).

CONCLUSION

The most important determinants of Mets, which are known to be highly prevalent even in NAFLD patients, are also confirmed in this study, namely, high blood pressure and increased waist circumference, in addition to hyperglycemia and low HDL levels. The need for early screening, lifestyle change and preemptive management strategies to advance prevention to delay disease onset and associated metabolic complications are emphasized by these findings.