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Formal diagnosis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) requires imaging or biopsy. However, scores to predict risk for NAFLD, based on clinical and laboratory information alone, have been developed. This latest effort comes from MESA, a large cohort study of 6800 middle-aged and older U.S. adults with substantial representation of self-defined white, African American, Hispanic, and Chinese American participants.
On baseline abdominal computed tomography, the prevalence of moderate-to-severe hepatic steatosis (indicating likely NAFLD) was 6%; because alcohol also causes steatosis, people with substantial alcohol use were excluded. Eight variables predicted NAFLD: Body-mass index (BMI), γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT), triglycerides, sex, s…