Prevalencia y caracterización de pacientes con esteatosis hepática en una Unidad de Medicina Preventiva: Estudio observacional, de corte transversal

Background: Steatotic Liver Disease is the most frequent chronic hepatic disease worldwide. Its prevalence is 30-38% and is associated with progression to steatohepatitis, fibrosis, cirrhosis, and Hepatocellular Carcinoma. A new terminology for this condition was recently published, classifying it into five groups. Aim: To evaluate the prevalence and the association of Steatotic Liver Disease with clinical and laboratory variables in a Preventive Medicine Unit. Methods: A cross-sectional and descriptive study. Patients over 18 years of age, with or without chronic diseases, who consulted the Preventive Medicine Unit of the Clínica Universidad de los Andes between February 2022 and March 2024 were included. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, and imaging data were collected. A hepatic steatosis diagnosis was made using abdominal ultrasound. Results: 4535 patients were included in the analysis; the mean age was 45.1 years, and 37.4% were women. 1214 patients (26.8%) met criteria for hepatic steatosis, who were older (p<0.001) and had a higher proportion of male sex than healthy patients (p<0.001). 94.3% met the criteria for hepatic steatosis associated with metabolic dysfunction; 3.2% met the criteria for metabolic dysfunction and alcohol consumption; 0.5% met the criteria for hepatic steatosis associated with alcohol consumption; and 2.0% met the criteria for cryptogenic hepatic steatosis or due to another cause. Conclusions: The prevalence of hepatic steatosis in our sample was 26.8%, with a significant difference between men and women. In 94.3% of cases, it was associated with metabolic dysfunction.