Association between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and peripheral neuropathy in US population, a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become an important risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Peripheral neuropathy (PN) is regarded as one of the main microvascular complications of diabetes. But the association of NAFLD with PN is still unclear. We aimed to investigate the association between NAFLD and PN in US population by conducting a cross-sectional study. We enrolled 3029 participants aged 40–85 years from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2004. NAFLD was defined as a US Fatty Liver Index (FLI) score ≥ 30, and PN was defined as having one or more insensate areas on either foot. Participants were divided into two groups (with or without PN). We performed multivariate logistic regression models to evaluate the association between NAFLD and PN. Subgroup analyses were used to find out whether the association was stable in different stratified groups. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess the robustness of the results. All the analyses were weighted. Among the individuals, 524 (17.3%) had PN and 1250 (41.27%) had NAFLD. In the multivariate logistic regression models, NAFLD was associated with an increased risk of PN (OR 1.44 [1.03 ~ 2.02]) after fully adjusting for covariates. In the subgroup analyses, NAFLD was significantly associated with PN in the age group (40–64 years), compared with those in the age group (65–85 years), (P for interaction: 0.004). The results of association of NAFLD with PN were stable in sensitivity analyses. In this cross-sectional study among US adults aged 40–85 years old, NAFLD was associated with an increased likelihood of prevalent PN.

Association between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and erectile dysfunction among American Adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey: a cross-sectional study

“…Within the complete cohort, 943 individuals (25.1%) were exempt from NAFLD, whereas 1 498 (39.8%) were diagnosed with NAFLD. In earlier studies involving 3 029 participants, it was determined that 1 250 individuals, constituting 41.27% of the sample, had been diagnosed with NAFLD (17). Consequently, our study's observed prevalence of NAFLD closely corresponds to the ndings of previous research, indicating a robust concordance between our results and the existing literature.…”

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Shift Workers and Its Effect on Peripheral Nerve Conduction: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Gu et al reported a significant association between NAFLD and peripheral neuropathy in the general population aged 40-64 years, both in nondiabetic and diabetic individuals [ 12 ]. They utilized the US FLI score for NAFLD detection and conducted a monofilament assessment of neuropathy, a subjective test for peripheral neuropathy assessment.…”

“…Conversely, small fiber neuropathy presents with impaired pain, temperature perception, and autonomic functions [ 11 ]. Recently, Gu et al 2023 reported a significant association and concluded that the small nerve fibers get affected in NAFLD [ 12 ]. They used the US fatty liver index (FLI) score for NAFLD detection and the monofilament test for the assessment of peripheral neuropathy.…”

Association between sagittal abdominal diameter-to-height ratio and arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease among the United States adults: A cross-sectional study

“…Hypertension was diagnosed if participants had elevated blood pressure on at least three occasions, were taking anti-hypertensive medication, or had received a medical diagnosis of hypertension. Hyperlipidemia could be diagnosed if participants had elevated total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein, or low levels of high-density lipoprotein ( Gu et al, 2023 ), see the detailed information in Supplementary Table 2.…”