Multicausality in fatty liver disease: Is there a rationale to distinguish between alcoholic and non-alcoholic origin?

Figure 1 Risk factors for fatty liver disease[17,32,72,82-87]. PNPLA3: Patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing protein 3; PCOS: Polycystic ovary syndrome.

Figure 2 Obesity and alcohol consumption in the general population of Northeast Germany. Data are taken from the population-based Study of Health in Pomerania. The columns indicate the proportions of obesity (Ob; body mass index > 30 kg/m²), harmful alcohol consumption (Alc; daily alcohol consumption > 20 g in women and > 30 g in men), the combined presence of both risk factors in all subjects (1122 men, 781 women) and subjects with a hyperechogenic pattern on liver ultrasound (535 men, 276 women), in whom at least one of both risk factors was present.

Figure 3 Metabolic syndrome and increased serum carbohydrate-deficient transferrin in the general population of Northeast Germany. Data are taken from the population-based Study of Health in Pomerania. The columns indicate the proportions of metabolic syndrome (MetS), increased serum carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT > 6%), the combined presence of both risk factors in all subjects (970 men, 685 women) and subjects with a hyperechogenic pattern on liver ultrasound (486 men, 288 women), in whom at least one of both risk factors was present.