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Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease causes most abnormal liver function tests in primary care
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Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease was the most common cause of liver function test failure in a large prospective cohort study of primary care patients.
Researchers analyzed data from 1,118 adult patients with abnormal liver function tests and no history or current symptoms of liver disease. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) was the underlying cause of abnormal liver function tests in 26.4% of patients, and excessive alcohol was the cause of abnormal liver function tests in 25.3% of patients.
Advanced fibrosis, defined as a NAFLD Fibrosis Score higher than +0.676, was found in 7.6% of patients with NAFLD, but a low score, defined as less than –1.455, was found in 57.2% of patients with NAFLD. This allowed “advanced fibrosis to be confidently excluded,” the study authors said.
“This study is the first of its kind to highlight the burden of NAFLD in primary care and provide data on disease severity in this setting,” they wrote.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.