METABOLIC ASSOCIATED FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE) AMONG PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES IN SAUDI ARABIA: SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META ANALYSIS

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is common among patients  with type 2 diabetes. However, it is often ignored. When co-exist they exacerbate each  other serious consequences. No meta-analysis has assessed NAFLD among patients   with diabetes in Saudi Arabia. We aimed to investigate the prevalence and predictors of   non-alcoholic fatty liver disease among patients with type 2 diabetes in Saudi Arabia.

Methods: three databases were searched (PubMed, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and   Web of Science for articles published in English from the first published article up to   March 2023. The following terms were used: type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver   disease, metabolic associated fatty liver disease, predictors, alanine aminotransferase   (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), Saudi Arabia, and using the protean ^"AND^"and ^"OR^".

Results: There were 1139 patients from three cross-sectional studies,  ALT was higher among patients with NAFLD, odd ratio, 3.30, 95% CI, 3.12-3.49, P-value <0.001, and the Chi-square was1.07. No differences were evident between patients with and without NAFLD regarding AST, odd ratio, -0.00, 95% CI, -5.86-5.86, P-value, 1.0, and the Chi-square was18.03, and HDL, odd ratio, -0.53, 95% CI, -1.21-0.15, P-value, 0.12, and the Chi-square was77.28. NAFLD prevalence was (40% to 80.8.Conclusion: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease was prevalent among patients with type 2 diabetes in Saudi Arabia and is associated with high ALT, while, high-density lipoproteins and AST were not. Healthcare and treating physicians might need to screen patients with type 2 diabetes for NAFLD. Further larger studies assessing the bone mineral density at different sites are needed.

Keywords: type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, Saudi Arabia.