Abstract
Out of 11272 subjects who visited our center for annual health check-up, 3913 (34.7%) were diagnosed as having fatty liver by ultrasonography. The prevalence of hyperlipidemia, obesity, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus was significantly higher in subjects with moderate or severe fatty liver than those in subjects with mild fatty liver. Thirty-two point two percent of subjects with fatty liver had alanine aminotransferase (ALT) or aspirate aminotransferase (AST) elevation. The subjects having fatty liver with ALT or AST elevation had higher prevalence of hyperlipidemia, obesity, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus than those having fatty liver with normal ALT and AST levels. Out of 200 subjects with fatty liver, 31 (31.5%) had progressed, 106 (53%) had not changed, and 63 (15.5%) had improved after three years retrospectively. The change of body mass index (BMI), body fat ratio, and serum level of triglyceride significantly correlated with the change of degree of fatty liver. These results suggest that the severity and the change of degree of fatty liver and ALT or AST elevation, are closely associated with lifestyle-related diseases, and that individuals with fatty liver should be actively managed in diet, alcohol intake, and exercise.
