Prevalence of Fatty Liver Disease in Patients Presenting to General Medicine Clinic with Abdominal Pain and Deranged Liver Function Tests at Tertiary Care Hospital Islamabad

Abstract

Objective: To determine the frequency of fatty liver disease in patients presenting with abdominal pain and deranged liver function tests at a tertiary care hospital in Islamabad.

Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted using a non-probability sampling technique in the Department of General Medicine, Rawal Institute of Health Sciences, Islamabad, over a period of eight months from March 2023 to October 2023. Adult male and female patients presenting with upper abdominal pain and deranged liver function tests (LFTs) were included. Baseline demographic and clinical data were collected and analyzed using SPSS version 26.0.

Results: A total of 512 patients were screened, out of which 199 (38.86%) were diagnosed with fatty liver disease. Patients with fatty liver were significantly older (mean age: 40.22 ± 6.84 years), had a higher body mass index (BMI: 26.81 ± 2.34 kg/m²), and elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT: 63.18 ± 29.33 mg/dL). Comorbidities were also more prevalent: diabetes mellitus (n = 63, 31.65%), hypertension (n = 74, 37.18%), and current smoking (n = 41, 20.60%)—all statistically significant (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: The study demonstrates a significant association between fatty liver disease and patients presenting with abdominal pain and deranged LFTs. Advanced age, elevated ALT levels, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and smoking were found to be important risk factors.