Overweight and hypertriglyceridemia are risk factors for liver cirrhosis in middle-aged Swedish men.

OBJECTIVE

Hyperlipidemia, overweight, insulin resistance and hypertension are associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The knowledge about these conditions as etiologic factors in liver cirrhosis is, however, limited. In this study, we examined the relation between overweight and hypertriglyceridemia, and development of liver cirrhosis in a general population.

METHODS

An epidemiological, longitudinal study was conducted involving men at the age of 50 with 40 years of follow-up. Baseline data were collected in 1963 and 1967. Cases of liver cirrhosis were identified by searching the Swedish Hospital Discharge Register and death certificates of the Central Bureau of Statistics. The independent effect of BMI, triglyceride levels and alcohol habits for cirrhosis of the liver was calculated by using multiple logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

Elevated BMI and triglycerides were significant independent risk factors for the development of liver cirrhosis (OR 1.27 and 1.99, respectively, p < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Overweight and hypertriglyceridemia are independent risk factors for liver cirrhosis in Swedish men.