Low Awareness of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Among... : Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology (original) (raw)

ONLINE ARTICLES: Original Articles

Low Awareness of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Among Patients at High Metabolic Risk

Wieland, Amanda C. MD*; Mettler, Pamela BS†; McDermott, Michael T. MD‡; Crane, Lori A. PhD§; Cicutto, Lisa C. PhD, ACNP∥; Bambha, Kiran M. MD, MSc*

Divisions of *Gastroenterology and Hepatology

‡Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Departments of †Biostatistics and Informatics, Colorado Biostatistics Consortium

§Community and Behavioral Health, Colorado School of Public Health, Aurora

∥Clinical Sciences Program, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO

Supported by NIH/NCATS Colorado CTSI Grant Number TL1 TR000155 and by NIH T32 DK07038 Gastrointestinal Diseases Training Grant.

Contents are the authors’ sole responsibility and do not necessarily represent official NIH views.

An earlier version of these data were presented as a poster at the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases Annual Liver Meeting, May 22, 2012, Boston, MA.

The authors declare that they have nothing to disclose.

Reprints: Kiran M. Bambha, MD, MSc, 12631 E. 17th Avenue, MS B-158, Aurora, CO 80045 (e-mail: [email protected]).

Received July 12, 2013

Accepted December 16, 2013

Abstract

Goals:

To assess awareness of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) as a disease entity among individuals with and without metabolic risk factors in an outpatient clinical setting, and to evaluate interest in patient-centered education on NAFLD.

Background:

NAFLD is the most common chronic liver disease in the United States with up to 30% of the adult population affected. Individuals with metabolic risk factors, particularly, insulin resistance, diabetes, and overweight/obesity, have a high prevalence of NAFLD estimated up to 70%, yet little is known about the understanding and perceptions of NAFLD in these high-risk patients.

Study:

A self-administered paper questionnaire was given to 368 adult patients presenting to an outpatient endocrinology clinic from February 2012 to October 2012.

Results:

A total of 302 surveys were completed for a response rate of 82%. Overall, 18% of all respondents reported awareness of NAFLD. Even among patients with self-reported major risk factors for NAFLD (overweight/obese, insulin resistant, or both overweight/obese and insulin resistant), the rates of awareness of NAFLD were low (19%, 23%, and 24%, respectively). A majority of survey respondents expressed interest in receiving patient-centered education on NAFLD (73%).

Conclusions:

Among high metabolic risk individuals there is low awareness of NAFLD. The majority of those surveyed expressed interest in learning about NAFLD. These findings suggest opportunities to raise public awareness of NAFLD, particularly among patients at high metabolic risk, and to provide education to high-risk individuals with the goal of implementing early prevention strategies and optimizing care.