Background/Aims
Previous studies examining ethnic differences in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
(NAFLD) are limited by small sample sizes and the lack of liver biopsy as a diagnostic
modality.
Methods
We retrospectively examined the influence of ethnicity on the biochemical and liver
histological differences in NAFLD patients.
Results
The proportion of African Americans (AA) in the NAFLD sample (total 238 patients;
15.1% AA) was lower than in the base population (68.2%). Median ALT (47 IU/L; p = 0.05) and triglyceride (134 mg/dL, p = 0.002) levels were lower in AA than other ethnicities. AA showed lower degrees of
steatosis [odds ratio (OR) 0.44, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.22–0.89; p = 0.02] than Whites. In contrast, Asians showed higher grades of ballooning than Whites
(OR 2.67, 95% CI 1.03–6.93; p = 0.04) and other ethnicities combined (OR 2.71, 95% CI 1.06–6.92; p = 0.04). Hispanics showed a higher rate of Mallory bodies than Whites (OR 2.38, 95%
CI 1.05–5.39; p = 0.04) and other ethnicities combined (OR 2.41, 95% CI 1.09–5.34; p = 0.03).
Conclusions
African Americans showed a lower degree of steatosis than Whites. In contrast, Asians
and Hispanics showed higher grades of ballooning and Mallory bodies, respectively,
than Whites and other ethnicities combined. These findings highlight the need for
prospective studies to evaluate ethnic differences in NAFLD.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: January 05, 2009
Accepted:
November 30,
2008
Received in revised form:
November 11,
2008
Received:
July 8,
2008
Associate Editor: C.P. DayFootnotes
☆The authors declare that they do not have anything to disclose regarding funding from industries or conflict of interest with respect to this manuscript.
Identification
Copyright
© 2009 European Association for the Study of the Liver. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
