Association of Lipid Profile Abnormalities with NAFLD Severity in Patients with Metabolic Syndrome

Abstract

Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is becoming a significant global health issue, and it is frequently associated with metabolic conditions, including hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. Unlike other liver diseases, NAFLD is not caused by alcohol consumption. One of the main characteristics of this disorder is dyslipidemia, or abnormal lipid levels, which is fundamental in metabolic disorders and may lead to NAFLD development. Often coexisting with NAFLD, metabolic syndrome consists of a group of risk factors including insulin resistance, abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, and dyslipidemia. The complicated interaction of these elements drives the evolution of NAFLD. Timely diagnosis, assessment of illness severity, and development of focused treatment plans depend on early recognition of dyslipidemia and knowledge of its relationship to the elements of metabolic syndrome.
Objective: This study aims to investigate these relationships to gain a better understanding of the metabolic processes underlying NAFLD, consequently driving improved therapy options.
Methodology: 135 people in total participated in this cross-sectional study to evaluate the frequency of many metabolic diseases including NAFLD, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and hypertension. Clinical evaluations and laboratory tests helped to compile information on these diseases. Descriptive statistics is used to determine the frequency rates of every situation. Chi-square test was performed to evaluate the relationships between NAFLD and other metabolic diseases; Pearson's correlation was utilized to investigate the relationship between NAFLD and dyslipidemia. Setting statistical significance at p < 0.05, all studies were run using the SPSS program to guarantee correct and reliable comparisons.
Results: The study found hat dyslipidemia was the most prevalent condition, affecting 57.00% (77 participants) of the sample, followed by NAFLD, which affected 63.00% (85 participants) of the participants. Hypertension was present in 46.70% (63 participants), and diabetes was diagnosed in 41.50% (56 participants) of the cohort. A positive but weak correlation (0.171, p = 0.047) was found between dyslipidemia and NAFLD, suggesting that the presence of dyslipidemia is associated with an increased likelihood of NAFLD. Descriptive statistics revealed a mean NAFLD score of 0.63 (SD = 0.485) and a mean dyslipidemia score of 0.57 (SD = 0.497), indicating a moderate to balanced prevalence of both conditions. Furthermore, 43.5% of participants with NAFLD also had diabetes, compared to 38.0% in the non-NAFLD group. Hypertension was observed in 51.8% of NAFLD patients, compared to 38.0% in those without NAFLD.
Conclusions: This study highlights the high prevalence of metabolic disorders, including dyslipidemia, NAFLD, hypertension, and diabetes, within the sample population. A weak but statistically significant correlation between dyslipidemia and NAFLD suggests that the presence of one condition may increase the likelihood of the other. Furthermore, the study emphasizes the significance of monitoring complications, particularly hypertension and diabetes, in patients with NAFLD. The results imply that more thorough statistical investigations including chi-square tests are required to investigate the relevance of these correlations in greater depth and enhance our knowledge of the interrelationships among several diseases.