Abstract
BACKGROUND: The epidemiological profile of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in Wenshan City, a southwestern Chinese city with a population of 3.4 million, is not well-defined. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of NAFLD and its risk factors among healthy adults in Wenshan City. METHODS: This study included 11,997 individuals who underwent health checkups at the People's Hospital of Wenshan Prefecture in 2022. Of these, 6,419 eligible adult subjects were analyzed. Each participant received abdominal ultrasonography and laboratory tests. Statistical analysis using R language was conducted to compare NAFLD prevalence, estimate odds ratios for NAFLD risk factors via logistic regression, and examine correlations between NAFLD and factors like age and gender. Additionally, the relationship between NAFLD, hyperlipidemia, liver injury, and the combination of hyperlipidemia and liver injury was examined. RESULTS: Among the 6,419 patients studied, the average age was 44.8 years (SD = 14.1), with a gender distribution of 59.4% males (3,815) and 40.6% females (2,604). The overall prevalence of NAFLD was 33.3% (2,138/6,419), with 39.6% (1,511/3,815) in males and 24.1% (627/2,604) in females. The average age of NAFLD patients was 47.9 ± 13.3 years, with a tendency to rise as age increased. The study found a high prevalence of hyperlipidemia (40.4%), liver injury (32.3%), and their combination (17.3%) in Wenshan adults, with higher rates in males than females. Prevalence increased with age until 60, after which it declined in males but rose in females for NAFLD. In the NAFLD population, hyperlipidemia was prevalent in 63.9% (69.1% males, 51.5% females), liver injury in 43.4% (51.0% males, 25.2% females), and both conditions in 31.3% (38.3% males, 14.4% females). CONCLUSION: The findings highlight significant associations between fatty liver, gender, age, and related health conditions. This finding suggests that special attention should be given to the prevention and management of NAFLD in border regions and integrated management.