The prevalence of fatty liver disease among diabetics in Mosul

Abstract EN

Objectives: To examine the occurrence of fatty liver disease in diabetic patient's type 1 and 2 disease and to focus the attention in our locality about this serious condition. Method: This prospective study of one hundred ten diabetic patients and one hundred patients as control was conducted in Ibn-Sena Teaching Hospital.

Patients and control were referred from Al-Wafa Diabetic Center in Mosul, the outpatient department, and from the Medical Center of Mosul Medical College University of Mosul.

All were referred for clinical assessment and for ultrasound examination of their abdomen. Results: The patients include 34 patients with type 1 and 76 patients with type 2 diabetes.

Of the 110 patients examined, 52.7% proved to have fatty infiltration in the liver by ultrasonography with no statistically significant difference between male and female. Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were more vulnerable to develop fatty infiltration of the liver than type 1 diabetes mellitus, with statistically significant difference between them.

Eighty six percent of patients with NAFLD were type 2 diabetes and 13.7% were type 1 diabetic disease.

The control group has NAFLD in 8% only. The age of the patient's shows positive correlation and fatty infiltration in the liver increased with age.

The longer the duration of diabetes mellitus makes the patients more likely to develop fatty infiltration in the liver. The postprandial blood sugar level correlates significantly with the presence of fatty infiltration in the liver while the fasting blood sugar level does not. Conclusion: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is common in our diabetic patients, occurs in both type1 and type 2 diabetes.

Ultrasound may be used for epidemiological studies for detection of NAFLD in diabetics.