Liver fat content is independently associated with microalbuminuria in a normotensive, euglycaemic Chinese population: a community-based, cross-sectional study

Objective Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with microalbuminuria (MA) in patients with diabetes/pre-diabetes. Whether this association is mediated by blood glucose and blood pressure (BP) remains unclear. This study investigated whether liver fat content (LFC) was associated with MA in a normotensive and non-diabetic population.Design A cross-sectional substudy.Settings LFC was determined from the hepatic/renal echogenicity ratio at ultrasound. MA was defined as an albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR) of 30–300 µg/mg (early- morning urine sample). Multivariable logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were used to evaluate LFC as a predictor of MA.Participants Between May 2010 and June 2011, this cross-sectional, community-based study enrolled residents from Shanghai (China), aged ≥40 years and with normal glucose tolerance and BP.Results A total of 550 residents (median age, 57 years; 174 men) were enrolled and stratified according to LFC quartiles. ACR (p