الفهرس 
INTRODUCTIONOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common chronic
liver disorder in more than 20% of the general population worldwide. Several
combinations of non-invasive factors and scoring models were investigated as
indicators of NAFLD. This study aimed to validate and adapt an established fatty
liver score, which allows the identification of NAFLD based on routinely available
clinical and laboratory data.
Methods: The study cohort comprised 190 adults seeking health check-up at the
out-patient clinic of a tertiary care hospital in Alexandria, Egypt. Anthropometric,
clinical, and laboratory data were recorded and the status of fatty liver was
diagnosed by abdominal ultrasound. A logistic regression model was built to
determine the predictors of NAFLD. The performance of the derived risk scores
was compared to other existing models.
Results: Obesity (60.0%), metabolic syndrome (42.6%), and NAFLD (56.8%)
were predominant features among the study population. Smoking [OR (95%
CI) = 4.4 (0.9–21.4)], obesity [OR (95% CI) =4.0 (1.7–9.7)], hypertension [OR
(95% CI) = 2.4 (1.03–5.5)], elevated serum total cholesterol [OR (95% CI) = 4.8
(1.8–13.1)], triglycerides [OR (95% CI)=11.8 (2.3–661.02)], and ALT [OR (95%
CI) = 4.8 (1.8–13.1)] were multivariate predictors of NAFLD. A NAFLD screening
questionnaire with values applicable for Egyptians was adapted from an existing
model after validation. A total score ≥7 was suggestive of NAFLD [AUC = 0.810
(0.749–0.871); sensitivity = 87.0%; specificity = 62.2%; PPV = 75.2%;
NPV = 78.5%].
Conclusions: NAFLD can be sufficiently predicted among apparently healthy
Egyptians by a tempted simple and non-invasive scoring index although external
validation is warranted.
Keywords
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; NAFLD; Prediction; Screening; Egypt