Associations between hemoglobin concentrations and the development of incidental metabolic syndrome or nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
AIMS
Hemoglobin (Hb) is known to be associated with both nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and metabolic syndrome (MS). We evaluated the relationship between serum Hb levels and the development of MS or NAFLD.


METHODS
A retrospective cohort study was conducted. We recruited participants who underwent abdominal ultrasonography and blood samplings in both 2005 and 2010.


RESULTS
Graded independent relationships were observed between higher Hb levels and the incidence of MS and NAFLD. After adjusting for age, body mass index, and fasting glucose, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride levels, the risk of developing MS was significantly higher according to the Hb quartiles in men (P for trend=0.027). The adjusted odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the highest Hb quartile was 1.81 (1.06-3.10) for women and 1.43 (1.00-2.05) for men. The risk of developing NAFLD was also significantly higher according to the Hb quartiles in men (P for trend=0.03). The adjusted OR and 95% CI for the highest Hb quartile was 1.18 (0.73-1.91) in women and 1.76 (1.16-2.66) in men.


CONCLUSIONS
The risk of developing either MS or NAFLD was significantly associated with serum Hb levels in men. These findings have implications in the clinical availability of serum Hb as a predictor of MS and NAFLD.
['Chung|Goh Eun|GE|', 'Yim|Jeong Yoon|JY|', 'Kim|Donghee|D|', 'Kwak|Min-Sun|MS|', 'Yang|Jong In|JI|', 'Chung|Su Jin|SJ|', 'Yang|Sun Young|SY|', 'Kim|Joo Sung|JS|']
D000328:Adult D000367:Age Factors D001786:Blood Glucose D015992:Body Mass Index D008076:Cholesterol, HDL D005260:Female D006400:Hematocrit D006454:Hemoglobins D006801:Humans D015994:Incidence D016015:Logistic Models D008297:Male D024821:Metabolic Syndrome D008875:Middle Aged D015999:Multivariate Analysis D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease D016017:Odds Ratio D056910:Republic of Korea D012189:Retrospective Studies D012307:Risk Factors D014280:Triglycerides
Hematocrit Hepatic steatosis