Affiliations: The Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, China | College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, China
Note: [] Corresponding author: Guolin Li, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, No. 175 of Lushan Road, Changsha, Hunan 410081, P. R. China. Tel: +86 731 88872786; Fax: +86 731 88872786; E-mail: [email protected] These authors contributed equally to this paper.
Note: [] These authors contributed equally to this paper.
Note: [] These authors contributed equally to this paper.
Abstract: Background and aim: Hematocrit is an important hemorheological parameter. Both hematocrit and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are strongly correlated with cardiovascular disease. However, there is no study to explore the direct relationship of hematocrit with NAFLD. Methods: Hematocrit levels were analyzed from 1,821 Chinese Han adults, and questionnaire and physical examination were administered to know and suspect the relationship with NAFLD. Results: NAFLD morbidity was positively correlated with hematocrit levels in both male and female. Multivariate-adjusted odds ratio illustrated that, compared with the lowest quartile of hematocrit, the highest quartile subjects had a 185% and 386% increased risk for developing NAFLD in male and female, respectively. Further receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that the optimal cutoff value of hematocrit for detecting NAFLD was 42.75 in male and 37.55 in female. Unhealthy lifestyles had similar effects on NAFLD and hematocrit. Conclusions: The prevalence of NAFLD is positively associated with hematocrit levels. Though the cause-effect relationship between NAFLD and hematocrit still needs further investigation to clarify, the elevated hematocrit in NAFLD patients may be of significance to link NAFLD and cardiovascular disease.
