Background: We investigated the association between muscle strength and the prevalence of advanced fibrosis among individuals with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) using a nationwide cross-sectional survey.

Methods: Individuals, 20 to 79 years of age, from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANES) from 2014 to 2016 were selected (n = 14,861), with sample weights applied. Muscle strength was quantified as the hand grip strength (HGS) divided by the body mass index (BMI); low muscle strength (LMS) was defined as the lowest quartile (Q1) of the HGS/BMI scores for our sample population. NAFLD was defined by hepatic steatosis index (HSI) >36 (NAFLDHSI). The highest quartile of NAFLD fibrosis score (NFS) (FibrosisNFS) was used to define advanced fibrosis.

Results: In a crude analysis, LMS was associated with the increased prevalence of NAFLDHSI (OR 3.62, 95% CI 3.25-4.03), which remained significant even after adjustment for age, sex, obesity, and insulin resistance (OR 1.69, 95% CI 1.30-2.18). Even in those without obesity, individuals with LMS had a higher prevalence of NAFLDHSI compared to those without LMS (OR 1.93, 95% CI, 1.42-2.63). Among individuals with NAFLDHSI (n = 3,320), LMS was also associated with the presence of advanced fibrosis (FibrosisNFS) even after adjustment for age, sex, obesity, and insulin resistance (OR 1.68, 95% CI 1.09-2.58).

Conclusion: Muscle strength is independently associated with NAFLD and advanced fibrosis.

Disclosure

S. Kang: None. M. Moon: None. B. Koo: None.

© 2020 by the American Diabetes Association
2020
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