Correlation between fatty liver and coronary risk factors: a population study of elderly men and women in Nagasaki, Japan

The relation between fatty liver, detected by ultrasonography as a marker o f visceral fat accumulation, and coronary risk factors was studied in 810 e lderly men and 1,273 elderly women in Nagasaki, Japan from 1990 to 1992. Th e prevalence of fatty liver was 3.3% in the male and 3.8% in the female non -obese participants (BMI, body mass index < 26.0 kg/m(2)) and 21.6% in the male and 18.8% in the female obese participants (26.0 kg/m(2) <less than or equal to> BMI). Fatty liver was significantly (p< 0.01) related to hyperch olesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia In the men and to hypertension, hype rcholesterolemia, low-HDL cholesterol, hypertriglyceridemia and diabetes me llitus or impaired glucose tolerance (DM+IGT) in the women independent of a ge, obesity, smoking and drinking. Non-obesity with fatty liver, rather tha n obesity with or without fatty liver, had the highest odds ratio for hyper tension and low-HDL cholesterol in the men and for hypercholesterolemia, lo w-HDL cholesterol, hypertriglyceridemia and DM+IGT in the women. The preval ence of fatty liver is the same in elderly men and women, and fatty liver i s an independent correlate of coronary risk factors in the elderly.