SynthesisDigestive diseases (Basel, Switzerland)2022
Clinical Profiles of Asians with NAFLD: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in Digestive diseases (Basel, Switzerland), 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 23 citations in OpenAlex.
- Distinct Laboratory and Clinical Features of Metabolic and Alcohol-Related Liver Disease (MetALD): A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Current obesity reports · 2026Pooled it
- Beyond BMI: central obesity identifies overlooked fatty liver disease risk in adults with normal body mass index undergoing routine health examinations.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Impact of metabolic and bariatric surgery on MASLD: histological resolution and metabolic outcomes in a retrospective cohort.BMC gastroenterology · 2025Article
- Culturally tailored steatotic liver disease management: Latino and Asian community partner perspectives and recommendations.Hepatology communications · 2025Article
- Non-linear relationship between the hepatic steatosis index and glycemic progression: evidence from a large-scale retrospective cohort study in a Chinese population.BMC gastroenterology · 2025Article
- Diagnostic Performance of Serum Mac-2-Binding Protein Glycosylation Isomer as a Fibrosis Biomarker in Non-Obese and Obese Patients with MASLD.Biomedicines · 2025Article
- Article
- Prevalence of at-risk MASH, MetALD and alcohol-associated steatotic liver disease in the general population.Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics · 2024Article
- Limitations of BMI z scores for assessing weight change: A clinical tool versus individual risk.Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.) · 2024Article
- Hepatocellular Carcinoma: The Role of Surgery in Liver Cirrhosis.Visceral medicine · 2024Review
- Metabolic puzzle: Exploring liver fibrosis differences in Asian metabolic-associated fatty liver disease subtypes.World journal of hepatology · 2024Article
- Prevalence and associated factors for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease among adults in the South Asian Region: a meta-analysis.The Lancet regional health. Southeast Asia · 2023Article
- Assessing the clinical utility of major indices for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in East Asian populations.Biomarkers in medicine · 2023Review
- Correlation between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in non-obese adults: a cross-sectional study.BMC gastroenterology · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
23 authors at 13 institutions in 6 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionNAFLD is increasingly prevalent in Asia, where people suffer more metabolic comorbidities at a lower body mass index (BMI), suggesting potential differences in their clinical profile. Therefore, we attempted to characterize the clinical profile of Asians with NAFLD via a meta-analytic approach.
methodsWe searched PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases from January 1, 2000, to January 17, 2019. Two authors independently reviewed and selected 104 articles (2,247,754 persons) that identified NAFLD in Asians and reported relevant data, especially BMI and ALT, and excluded individuals with other liver disease and excessive alcohol consumption. Individual patient-level data were obtained from seven cohorts in Asia to complement meta-analyzed data.
resultsOverall, the mean age was 52.07 (95% CI: 51.28-52.85) years, with those from Southeast Asia (42.66, 95% CI: 32.23-53.11) being significantly younger. The mean BMI was 26.2 kg/m2, higher in moderate-severe versus mild hepatic steatosis (28.3 vs. 25.7) patients and NFS ≥ -1.455 versus <-1.455 (27.09 vs. 26.02), with 34% having nonobese NAFLD. The mean ALT was 31.74 U/L, higher in NFS < -1.455 versus ≥-1.455 (33.74 vs. 27.83), though no differences were found by obesity or steatosis severity. The majority of males (85.7%) and females (60.7%) had normal to minimally elevated ALT (1-1.5 × 95% ULN). Individual patient-level data analysis (N = 7,668) demonstrated similar results.
conclusionAbout one-third of Asians with NAFLD were nonobese, and the majority did not have markedly elevated ALT. Therefore, abnormal ALT or BMI is not recommended as a criterion for NAFLD screening in this population. Additionally, there were significant differences in the clinical profiles of NAFLD among the different regions of Asia.
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