[Relationship between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in Chinese adults: a prospective cohort study].

Objective: To explore the relationship between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Chinese adults.
Methods: A total of 4847 Chinese adults were enrolled in this prospective study. All participants underwent physical examination at one of three hospitals in Nanjing during 2008. According to results from B ultrasound, the participants were grouped according to NAFLD diagnosis, with 1468 in the NAFLD group and 3379 in the control group.Participants were followed up until diagnosis of T2DM or for 4 years. The cumulative incidence rates of T2DM were calculated for and compared between the NAFLD group and the control group. The relationship between NAFLD and risk of T2DM was examined by Cox proportional hazards modeling.
Results: During the 4-year follow-up,387 (8.0%) of the patients were diagnosed with T2DM. The cumulative incidence rates of T2DM in the NAFLD group and the control group were 17.2% and 4.0%, respectively. After adjusting for age,sex,body mass index,blood pressure,triglyceride level and alanine aminotransferase level, NAFLD was found to be closely related to the incidence of T2DM (relative risk:3.465,95% confidence interval:2.755-4.358).
Conclusion: NAFLD is associated with elevated risk of T2DM in adult patients in Nanjing,China. The general population of this region may benefit from focused public health intervention and treatment strategies targeting to prevent development of T2DM in conjunction with NAFLD.