The NAFLD Index: A Simple and Accurate Screening Tool for the Prediction of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

• Published in: Rinsho byori. The Japanese journal of clinical pathology Vol. 63; no. 1; p. 32
• Main Authors: Ichino, Naohiro, Osakabe, Keisuke, Sugimoto, Keiko, Suzuki, Koji, Yamada, Hiroya, Takai, Hiroji, Sugiyama, Hiroko, Yukitake, Jun, Inoue, Takashi, Ohashi, Koji, Hata, Tadayoshi, Hamajima, Nobuyuki, Nishikawa, Toru, Hashimoto, Senju, Kawabe, Naoto, Yoshioka, Kentaro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan 01.01.2015
• Subjects: Aged; Alanine Transaminase - blood; Alkaline Phosphatase - blood; Aspartate Aminotransferases - blood; Biomarkers - blood; Blood Glucose; Body Mass Index; Cholesterol, HDL - blood; Cholesterol, LDL - blood; Female; Glycated Hemoglobin A; Humans; Male; Mass Screening - methods; Middle Aged; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease - blood; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease - diagnosis; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease - prevention & control; Predictive Value of Tests; Sensitivity and Specificity; Serum Albumin; Triglycerides
• ISSN: 0047-1860

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common debilitating condition in many industrialized countries that increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to derive a simple and accurate screening tool for the prediction of NAFLD in the Japanese population. A total of 945 participants, 279 men and 666 women living in Hokkaido, Japan, were enrolled among residents who attended a health check-up program from 2010 to 2014. Participants with an alcohol consumption > 20 g/day and/or a chronic liver disease, such as chronic hepatitis B, chronic hepatitis C or autoimmune hepatitis, were excluded from this study. Clinical and laboratory data were examined to identify predictive markers of NAFLD. A new predictive index for NAFLD, the NAFLD index, was constructed for men and for women. The NAFLD index for men = -15.5693+0.3264 [BMI] +0.0134 [triglycerides (mg/dl)], and for women = -31.4686+0.3683 [BMI] +2.5699 [albumin (g/dl)] +4.6740[ALT/AST] -0.0379 [HDL cholesterol (mg/dl)]. The AUROC of the NAFLD index for men and for women was 0.87(95% CI 0.88-1.60) and 0.90 (95% CI 0.66-1.02), respectively. The cut-off point of -5.28 for men predicted NAFLD with an accuracy of 82.8%. For women, the cut-off point of -7.65 predicted NAFLD with an accuracy of 87.7%. A new index for the non-invasive prediction of NAFLD, the NAFLD index, was constructed using available clinical and laboratory data. This index is a simple screening tool to predict the presence of NAFLD.