Impaired lung function is associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease independently of metabolic syndrome features in middle-aged and elderly Chinese

• Published in: BMC endocrine disorders Vol. 17; no. 1; p. 18
• Main Authors: Qin, Li, Zhang, Weiwei, Yang, Zhen, Niu, Yixin, Li, Xiaoyong, Lu, Shuai, Xing, Yin, Lin, Ning, Zhang, Hongmei, Ning, Guang, Fan, Jiangao, Su, Qing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BioMed Central 22.03.2017
• Subjects: Aged; Body mass index; Cardiovascular disease; China - epidemiology; Cholesterol; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diabetes; Endocrinology; Epidemiology of Endocrine Disorders; Family medical history; Fasting; Fatty liver; Female; Geriatrics; Glucose; Health risk assessment; Homeostasis; Humans; Inflammation; Insulin resistance; Lipoproteins; Liver diseases; Longitudinal Studies; Lung - diagnostic imaging; Lung - physiopathology; Lungs; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolic Diseases; Metabolic syndrome; Metabolic Syndrome - diagnostic imaging; Metabolic Syndrome - epidemiology; Metabolic Syndrome - physiopathology; Middle age; Middle Aged; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease - diagnostic imaging; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease - epidemiology; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease - physiopathology; Plasma; Research Article; Respiratory function; Respiratory Function Tests - methods; Risk factors; rology; Single-Blind Method; Studies; Ultrasound; Vital Capacity - physiology; Chinese; Metabolic risk factors; Lung function; Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
• ISSN: 1472-6823; 1472-6823
• DOI: 10.1186/s12902-017-0168-4

Background Associations between lung function and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) have been reported. However, evidence from large-scale populations about the relationship is scarce. The objective of the study was to evaluate the relationship between lung function and NAFLD in middle-aged and elderly Chinese. Methods A total of 1842 participants aged 40 years or older were recruited from Chongming District, Shanghai, China. Lung function, evaluated by forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) was measured with standard spirometry. The NAFLD was evaluated by ultrasonography. Results The subjects with NAFLD had lower FVC (% predicted) (0.85 ± 0.26 vs. 0.90 ± 0.28, p  < 0.001) and FEV1 (% predicted) (0.93 ± 0.29 vs. 0.98 ± 0.34, p  < 0.001) than non-NAFLD. After adjusting for potential risk factors, the lowest quartile of FVC (% predicted) and FEV1 (% predicted) was associated with increased prevalence of NAFLD, with the fully adjusted odds ratio of 1.37 and 1.24 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.18–1.97, p  < 0.001, 95% CI 1.11–1.87, p  = 0.009), respectively. Conclusions Impaired lung function is associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, independent of conventional metabolic risk factors.