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Estimates of the prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its subset, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), vary according to the patient population studied and the means used to establish diagnoses. For this prevalence study, researchers at an army medical center in Texas studied 328 volunteers (mean age, 55; half were women) with no histories of liver disease who consumed minimal alcohol. Almost half the participants were obese (body-mass index >30 kg/m2), and 17% had known diabetes.
Ultrasound findings in 156 participants (48%) were consistent with NAFLD; these people were more likely to be obese, diabetic, and hypertensive than those without NAFLD. Of these 156, 134 consented to undergoing liver biopsy: 89 showed NAFLD w…