Association between hemoglobin levels and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in patients with young-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus

Abstract

This retrospective study aimed to investigate the relationship between hemoglobin (Hb) levels and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in patients with young-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Data were collected for 296 patients with young-onset T2DM admitted to the first Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University from May 2017 to January 2020. Subjects were divided into NAFLD (n = 186) and non-NAFLD groups (n = 110). Patients with NAFLD had significantly higher Hb levels (p = 0.001). According to logistic regression analysis, Hb levels were significantly correlated with NAFLD after adjusting for confounding factors [odds ratio (OR) = 1.024, 95% confidence interval = 1.003–1.046, p = 0.028]. Subjects were also grouped according to Hb quartiles. After adjusting for sex and body mass index (BMI), the OR (95%CI) for NAFLD significantly increased with increasing Hb levels (p for trend = 0.009). Patients were also divided into lean (BMI <25 kg/m², n = 139) and overweight/obese groups (BMI ≥25 kg/m², n = 157), with adjusted ORs (95%CI) for the highest quartiles of 1.797 (0.559–5.776) and 6.009 (1.328–27.181), respectively. Further quartile classification of Hb according to sex showed adjusted OR (95%CI) for the highest compared with the lowest quartile of 2.796 (1.148–6.814) for males and 2.945 (0.482–17.997) for females. In conclusion, high Hb levels were associated with the presence of NAFLD in patients with young-onset T2DM, especially in males and overweight/obese patients.