Liver and Cardiovascular Damage in Patients With Lean Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, and Association With Visceral Obesity.

Background & Aims Lean nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is defined as NAFLD that develops in patients with a body mass index (BMI) less than 25 kg/m2. We investigated the differences between lean NAFLD and NAFLD in overweight and obese persons, factors associated with the severity of liver and cardiovascular disease, and the effects of visceral obesity. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study of 669 consecutive patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD seen at 3 liver centers in Italy. We collected anthropometric, clinical, and biochemical data, as well as information on carotid atherosclerosis (artery intima-media thickness and plaque), liver histology (nonalcoholic steatohepatit…