Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Saudi Type 2 Diabetic Subjects Attending a Medical Outpatient Clinic

Prevalence and general characteristics

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a liver condition that is being recognized with increasing frequency, and it may progress to end-stage liver disease (1). NAFLD can affect any age-group and has been described in most racial groups. In most series, the typical picture is a middle-aged woman (1). Obesity has the strongest association with NAFLD, but regardless of BMI, the presence of type 2 diabetes significantly increases the risk and severity of NAFLD. The prevalence of NAFLD in the general population ranges from 13 to 15% (2). The prevalence increases in subjects with diabetes and with severe obesity and has been reported to range from 25 to 75% or even higher (3). In Saudi Arabia, a prevalence of 7–10% has been reported in the general population (4,5). The aim of our work is to determine the prevalence …