A study of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in South African patients and analysis of candidate genes in insulin resistance and fatty acid oxidation.

• Main Author: Kruger, F. C.
• Other Authors: Kotze, M. J.
• Language: en
• Published: Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University 2008
• Subjects: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis; Insulin resistance; Liver cirrhosis; Dissertations > Internal medicine; Theses > Internal medicine
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/1415

Thesis (PhD (Medicine. Internal Medicine))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. === Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most prevalent chronic liver disease in Western countries, extending from steatosis (FLD) to steatohepatitis (NASH). Differentiation between NASH and nonprogressive NAFLD is difficult on clinical grounds therefore a need exists to identify reliable biomarkers of disease progression. The aims of the study were 1) to describe the disease profile of NAFLD/NASH in South African patients of the Western Cape, 2) to investigate the metabolic derangements associated with this condition, including insulin resistance, lipid abnormalities and liver fibrogenesis, and 3) to assess the possible involvement of candidate genes in relation to the disease phenotype in the patient cohort. A total of 233 patients (73% female) were enrolled in this study, consisting of 69% Cape Coloured, 25% Caucasian, 5% Black and 1% Asian individuals. All subjects were obese or overweight based on the assessment of body mass index (BMI). Screening for NAFLD identified 182 patients (87%) with ultrasonographical evidence of fatty infiltration and/or hepatomegaly. Liver biopsies were performed on patients with persistently abnormal liver functions and/or hepatomegaly. NAFLD was confirmed histologically in 111 patients of whom 36% had NASH and 17% advanced liver fibrosis. None of the Black patients had advanced fibrosis.