Abstract
We performed abdominal ultrasonography, blood biochemistry, and a questionnaire survey on the medical history and present illness in 11, 260 subjects ranging in age from 30 to 59 years among adults who consulted the Health Science Center in our hospital. We statistically compared fatty liver and high brightness pancreas on abdominal ultrasonography to items associated with lifestyle-related diseases, and investigated the significance of abdominal ultrasonography as an index of lifestyle-related diseases.
We scored fatty liver and high brightness pancreas diagnosed by abdominal ultrasonography, and tried quantitative assessment of them.
As degree of fatty liver became severe from moderate, moderate from mild, the prevalence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and hyperlipidemia, which was life-style, related diseases, and BMI increased. As degree of high brightness pancreas became severe from mild, the prevalence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and hyperlipidemia, which was life-style, related diseases, age and BMI increased. Subjects were classified between four groups by presence of fatty liver and high brightness pancreas. The biochemistry measurements related to liver functions (AST, ALT, or γ-GTP) were significant higher in persons with fatty liver without high brightness pancreas than in those with high brightness pancreas without fatty liver. In addition, the prevalence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidemia were increased in order of fatty liver (-) high brightness pancreas (-), fatty liver (-) high brightness pancreas (+), fatty liver (+) high brightness pancreas (-), fatty liver (+) high brightness pancreas (+) . As a result, fatty liver may be a more important index of lifestyle-related diseases than high brightness pancreas.
Fatty liver and high brightness pancreas in adults are closely associated with lifestyle-related diseases. It may be important to evaluate these parameters using abdominal ultrasonography at a medical checkup. In particular, scoring fatty liver and high brightness pancreas for quantitative evaluation was useful, since these parameters were correlated with the severity of lifestyle-related diseases.
