Elevation of plateletcrit increasing the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease development in female adults: A large population-based study

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the one of the most common form of chronic liver disease in China, so it is important to apply bio-marker in predict the development of NAFLD. Aims: This study aims to evaluate association between plateletcrit (PCT) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in Chinese female adults. Methods: NAFLD was defined as per ultrasound in this study and 9737 NAFLD-free female subjects from Wenzhou People's Hospital were followed for five years in average in the study. The determination of NAFLD PCT quartiles (Q1 to Q4) were defined: 0-0.16, 0.17-0.18, 0.19-0.21, >= 0.22. With Q1 used as reference, 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and hazard ratios (HRs) in different models were computed across each quartile. Results: From Q1 to Q4, the incidence ratios (95% CIs) were 8.30 (7.14-9.47), 11.51 (10.12-12.89), 12.68 (11.47-13.89) and 16.46 (15.03-17.88). Simply considering PCT, in the longitudinal population, values in Q2, Q3 and Q4 had HRs (95% CIs) are 1.51 (1.25-1.84), 1.72 (1.44-2.06) and 2.34 (1.96-2.79) versus Q1. After adjusting for all known confounding variables, values in Q2, Q3 and Q4 had HRs (95% CIs) of 1.31 (1.08-1.60), 1.30 (1.09-1.56) and 1.54 (1.29-1.84) in females compared with Q1. Conclusions: We reported that elevated serum PCT levels are considered as an independently significant predictor for NAFLD development in females. The high PCT level contributes to the development of NAFLD.