Molecular epidemiological study on the advancement of nonalcoholic fatty liver among general population.

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K09100
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Hygiene and public health
• Research Institution: Kagoshima University
• Principal Investigator: IBUSUKI RIE 鹿児島大学, 医歯学域医学系, 助教 (90747015)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 井戸 章雄 鹿児島大学, 医歯学域医学系, 教授 (30291545) ; 嶽崎 俊郎 鹿児島大学, 医歯学域医学系, 教授 (50227013)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: NAFLD / 脂肪肝 / 肝線維化

Outline of Final Research Achievements

To investigate the environmental and host factors involved in the advance of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)among general population, we conducted cross-sectional and prospective molecular epidemiological studies.
The subjects were 6,609 research collaborators who participated in the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort (J-MICC) study and were undergoing abdominal ultrasound examination. In recent years, it has been reported that the distribution of NAFLD, which tends to increase, rises with age, but has a peak in the 50s to 60s and a decline thereafter. In this study, it was suggested that the disappearance of NAFLD does not improve fibrosis, and that the advancement of hepatic fibrosis continued with age, with age-related advancement being added. It has been shown that preventing the occurrence of NAFLD is also important for preventing hepatic fibrosis.

Free Research Field

分子栄養疫学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

近年、増加傾向にある非アルコール性脂肪性肝疾患（NAFLD）の健診受診者における頻度は、男性で30～40％，女性は10～20％であり、NAFLDの性年齢別有病率は，日本の肥満人口を反映し、年齢と共に増加して、男性では40歳代、女性では60歳代をピークに低下する特徴がある。NAFLDの一部は脂肪性肝炎、肝硬変、肝癌と進展し、肝線維化が病態の上で重要な役割を有している。本研究における、一般住民に多く認められるNAFLDの経過と肝線維化に関する解明は、重症化例のスクリーニングや予防において重要であり、NAFLDの一次予防対策を講じるための新たに有用なエビデンスを提示した。