Comparison of Clinical, Biochemical, and Histopathologic Profiles between NAFLD in Asian-Indians and United States Adults.

Background and aims: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is very common in both Asian and Western countries. Geographic variation leads to differences in epidemiological and demographic characters of NAFLD patients. Studies conducted upon different ethnic groups in the United States (US) show a higher prevalence of NAFLD in Hispanics and African-Americans. There is however, a paucity of studies involving Asians. It has been observed that Asian-Indian NAFLD patients have unique characteristics compared to their counterparts in the West. This study is the first attempt at comparing the characteristics of Asian-Indian and US NAFLD patients.

Materials and methods: A retrospective analysis of clinical, biochemical, and histological data was performed for 633 Asian-Indian NAFLD patients and 451 US NAFLD patients. Clinical parameters [age, gender, body mass index (BMI), diabetes, hypertension, etc.], biochemical tests (liver function tests, lipid profile, and fasting blood sugar), hepatic ultrasound and hepatic histology were compared between the two cohorts.

Results: Eighty-two percent of US NAFLD patients were more than 40 years of age compared to 51.3% of Asian-Indian patients (p <0.01). US (male 56.3%) and Asian-Indian (male 81.7%) (p <0.01) patients differed from each other as regards gender prevalence. Rates of obesity were greater in the US patients compared to Asian-Indians (BMI 32.6 ± 5.3 kg/m² vs 26.2 ± 3.4 kg/m²). There was a higher prevalence of both diabetes and hypertension (diabetes 42.1% vs 33%, and hypertension 56.8% vs 29.7%, p ≤0.01) in US patients. ALT levels were also significantly higher in US NAFLD patients compared to Asian-Indians (ALT 82.78 ± 71.30 vs 53.66 ± 37, p ≤0.01). A higher proportion of US patients were found to have the more advanced liver disease at the time of diagnosis compared to Asian-Indians (Stage 3 fibrosis 10.42% vs 0%, and Stage 4 fibrosis 2.66% vs 0%, p <0.01).

Conclusion: Asian-Indian and US NAFLD patients differ significantly on several parameters. Further studies need to be carried out to understand the mechanistic basis of these differences better.

How to cite this article: Singh SP, Panigrahi MK, Patel A, et al. Comparison of Clinical, Biochemical, and Histopathologic Profiles between NAFLD in Asian-Indians and United States Adults. Euroasian J Hepato-Gastroenterol 2022;12(Suppl 1):S15-S18.