Risk factors and ultrasound can predict chronic hepatitis caused by nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

The diagnosis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is underrecognized. The aim of this study was to develop a scoring system that separates NAFLD diagnosis as a cause of chronic hepatitis from controls by using clinical features and liver ultrasound. A retrospective review of consecutive NAFLD cases and other liver disease controls was undertaken selecting patients from an abnormal liver function test code. To qualify for analysis all patients had to have elevated liver injury tests for more then 6 months, a biopsy-confirmed diagnosis, and an ultrasound as part of the evaluation. There were 84 cases of NAFLD and 75 liver disease controls. The NAFLD group had a larger body mass index (BMI) (34.9 versus 26.1; P <= 0.0001), a larger liver span (9.8 versus 8.1 cm; P <= 0.0001), and higher triglycerides (252 versus 142.6; P <= 0.0001). The ultrasound reports recorded features consistent with fatty infiltration in 65.5% of NAFLD cases, compared to 5.3% of other liver diseases (P <= 0.0001). Diabetes mellitus was found in 35% of NAFLD and 6.7% of other cases (P <= 0.0001). The BMI was > 30 in 79.8% of NAFLD cases and 22.7% of other liver disease cases (P <= 0.0001). The liver span was > 8 cm in 78.6% of NAFLD cases and in only 16% of controls (P = 0.0001). On multivariate analysis using logistic regression, the odds ratio of having ultrasound report findings suggestive of fatty infiltration was 15.9 (CI, 4.1-60). The odds ratio was 9.4 (CI, 2.3-37.9) for diabetes, 5.0 (CI, 1.7-14.6) for BMI > 30, and 2.3 for liver span > 8 cm (CI, 1.36-3.90). A scoring system using clinical features and ultrasound was shown to reliably separate NAFLD from other cases of chronic hepatitis.