Clinical and Comorbidity Profile of Fatty Liver Disease: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Abstract

Background: Fatty liver disease, encompassing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and alcoholic liver disease (ALD), represents a significant global health burden with complex associations to various comorbidities. Objective: This study aims to characterize the clinical and comorbidity profile of patients with fatty liver disease compared to those without, with a focus on metabolic and gastrointestinal comorbidities. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 850 patients (432 with fatty liver disease and 418 without) from a tertiary care center. Demographic characteristics, clinical parameters, and comorbidities were compared between groups. Results: Patients with fatty liver disease demonstrated significantly higher BMI (29.71 ± 4.62 vs. 26.25 ± 3.90 kg/m 2 , p<0.001) and liver enzymes compared to controls. Type 2 diabetes (49.3% vs. 35.9%, OR 1.74, p<0.001) and dyslipidemia (69.0% vs. 42.3%, OR 3.03, p<0.001) were significantly more prevalent in the fatty liver group, while hypertension, GERD, and pancreatitis showed no significant differences. The number of metabolic comorbidities increased with steatosis severity, and liver function tests demonstrated progressive deterioration with advancing steatosis grade. Conclusion: Fatty liver disease is strongly associated with metabolic comorbidities, particularly type 2 diabetes and dyslipidemia. The severity of liver steatosis correlates with both the burden of metabolic comorbidities and the degree of liver dysfunction.