English abstract
There are few studies describing the biochemical and nutritional factors that influence
NAFLD in adult Omani patients. This study aimed to determine biochemical parameters and
nutritional determinants in non-alcoholic liver disease Omani adult patients at Diwan
polyclinic, Oman, Muscat. A total of 104 participants (52 cases, 52 controls) who attended
Internal Medicine and has been referred to Radiology department during the last year for
abdominal ultrasound. It consisted of two groups: the case groups who had been diagnosed
with fatty liver through liver imaging and the control groups not having fatty liver but have
more of three these risk factors. A validated study questionnaires that has been modified to
include a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire was used. The questionnaires
included demographic, anthropometric, socioeconomic characteristics and patient's
biochemical lab-tests data which were harvested from the Diwan polyclinic electronic record
system. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences SPSS (version 20) was used to enter and
analyze the data. The findings indicated that men had a significantly higher risk of NAFLD
(69%) while women were at lower risk (31%). One of the most prevalent characteristics
shared by study participants was a previous diagnosis of diabetes, as shown by the data
analysis where about 61.5% for NAFLD group (case) and 65% for healthy groups(control).
Average liver enzyme levels were at normal range for both groups. However, ALT levels
for patients with NAFLD were much higher than the normal range. The case group
consumed more calories on average than the control group. Carbohydrates consumed in
greater quantity compared to other macronutrients in both groups which was significantly
different (p=0.000). Overall, alanine transaminase has a direct relationship with albumin,
alkaline phosphatase, aspartate transaminase, and daily average caloric intake. In a
summary, this study showed that Omani individuals have an increased chance of getting
NAFLD due to the fact that they are highly incidence diabetes, hypertension, obesity,
hyperlipidemia, and sedentary lifestyles.
