Fatty Liver Disease among Adults in Southwestern Saudi Arabia
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- Category: Vol. 81, December 2013
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Fatty Liver Disease among Adults in Southwestern Saudi Arabia, GHAZI A. ALSHUMRANI, KHALID A. SHAWKY, YAHIA I. ASSIRI, MOHAMMED A. ALGATHRADI, AHMED A. MAHFOUZ and OSSAMA A. MOSTAFA
Abstract
Background: Fatty liver may progress to steatohepatitis, which can lead to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.
Objective: To assess the distribution of hepatic steatosis among adults in the Southwestern Saudi Arabia using unen-hanced CT scan.
Methods: This study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in the Southwestern Saudi Arabia during the period from May to September 2012. Unenhanced CT scans of one hundred consecutive adult patients (76 men and 24 women) with no previously known liver disease were evaluated. Their age ranged from 19 to 77 years. They presented for the first time with suspected renal colic symptoms to the Outpatient Clinic or to the Emergency Department and, therefore, unen-hanced CT scans were performed to detect urinary stones. Several CT attenuation criteria to diagnose fatty liver disease were applied.
Results: The study included 100 adults with mean liver attenuation of 51.6±14.5 Hounsfield units. The proportion of patients with fatty liver ranged from 18% to 54%, based on different cut-off definitions of fatty liver disease. There were no statistically significant differences in the proportion of hepatic steatosis regarding gender and nationality. Comparison of proportions using the readings of overall liver, right lobe and left lobe densities showed no statistically significant differences.
Age range:
Conclusions: Fatty liver disease is high among adults in the Southwestern region of Saudi Arabia.
Recommendations: Raising awareness among health care professionals about fatty liver disease is necessary.