Screening for non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease in community setting: A cohort study using controlled attenuation parameter‐transient elastography

Background/Aim The global problems of chronic liver disease and non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are increasing. We examined the prevalence of NAFLD and significant liver stiffness in an asymptomatic population and identified the predictors of significant fibrosis in NAFLD. Method We prospectively enrolled Thai subjects, aged 18–80 years, from four regions (Bangkok, Central, North, South) of Thailand from March 2013 to November 2016. All participants underwent controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) measurement for liver fat quantification and transient elastography (TE) for liver stiffness measurement (LSM). NAFLD was defined as liver fat ≥10% (CAP ≥ 306 dB/m). Of 1145 participants, 782 (68.3%) were eligible for analysis. Result The mean age ± standard deviation (SD) was 53.1 ± 4.6 years, and 71.6% were female. The mean ± SD values of CAP and LSM of the overall cohort were 241.9 ± 61.4 dB/m and 5.5 ± 3.8 kPa, respectively. The prevalence of NAFLD was 18.0%, whereas 5.4% of the cohort had nonobese NAFLD (BMI