Significance of blood sugar and glycosylated haemoglobin levels in non alcoholic fatty liver disease

Non alcoholic fatty liver disease is being increasingly recognised as an important cause of morbidity and mortality particularly in the industrialised world. It is defined by significant lipid accumulation (5-10%) in hepatic tissue in the absence of significant chronic alcohol consumption. NAFLD is histologically similar to alcoholic liver disease, but by definition it occurs in the absence of excessive alcohol consumption and is not due to other identifiable causes of fatty liver such as hepatitis C and certain medications. NAFLD is a metabolic disorder and that Insulin resistance plays a key role in its genesis. Insulin resistance along with other potential biochemical abnormalities results in fatty liver and the generation of excessive free radicals in the liver, which produce liver injury. The present hospital-based, observational, analytical and comparative study was conducted on 80 subjects including 50 cases of ultrasonographically diagnosed NAFLD and 30 age and gender matched healthy subjects as controls. In this study, biochemical profile consisting of fasting blood sugar and glycosylated haemoglobin were evaluated in 50 USG diagnosed cases of NAFLD and 30 controls and the results were analysed statistically. The study found a statistically significant increase in Blood sugar and glycosylated haemoglobin levels in patients of Non alcoholic fatty liver disease indicating the insulin resistance. The present study concluded that increased blood sugar and HbA1C levels are independent risk factors for NAFLD.