Clinical significance of fatty liver associated with metabolic syndrome

Metabolic syndrome (MS) has been recognized as a high-risk disorder that leads to life-threatening diseases, such as coronary vascular disease. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association of fatty liver (FL) with MS in order to establish an effective treatment for FL. One thousand two hundred and fifty-four individuals (694 males, 560 females) who visited the Department of General Medicine, International Medical Center of Japan for a human dry dock annual check-up from 2000 to 2004 were analyzed. FL was diagnosed in 41.5% of the males and 10.7% of the females, with the prevalence rate increasing in postmenopausal females over 55 years old. High body mass index and waist circumference were observed in those with FL, whereas body mass index reduction was strongly correlated with a decrease in alanine aminotransferase level (R = 0.6,P < 0.01). MS complications were more common in subjects with FL and the most common initial events of MS were shown to be obesity, hyperlipidemia and FL, followed by glucose intolerance and hypertension. Subjects with FL showed a higher level of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (normal: FL = 0.38: 0.73 mg/L, P < 0.05), which was strongly correlated with serum markers that indicated lipid and glucose metabolism in females with FL (R = 0.61-0.77, P < 0.05). FL could be a part of or, at least, a predictor of MS. Further, bodyweight reduction is an effective treatment for FL.