Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 18, 2025
Incorporation of a Survivable Liver Biopsy Procedure in Mice to Assess Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis NASH Resolution
Published on: April 16, 2019
High-Normal Thyroid Function Predicts Incident Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Among Middle-Aged and Older Euthyroid
Yeqing Gu1, Xiaohui Wu2, Qing Zhang3
1Institute of Radiation Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, China.
Background:
Thyroid hormones (THs) influence hepatic lipid homeostasis through multiple pathways, suggesting that THs may predict the risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, prospective studies on the association between THs levels and incident NAFLD in euthyroid subjects are limited. This prospective cohort study aimed to explore whether THs were associated with the development of NAFLD in middle-aged and older euthyroid subjects.
Method:
A total of 6462 subjects without baseline NAFLD were included in the cohort study (~6-year follow-up period, median: 4.2 years). Chemiluminescence immunoassay was used to measure serum free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), and NAFLD was diagnosed by abdominal ultrasonography. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to assess the association between baseline THs, TSH, and the risk of NAFLD.
Results:
During the follow-up period, 1675 subjects developed NAFLD. The incidence rate of NAFLD was 85.0 per 1000 person-years. Compared with the lowest FT3, FT4, and TSH quartiles, the multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) of incident NAFLD for highest quartiles were 1.30 (1.12, 1.51), 1.07 (0.93, 1.23), and 0.82 (0.71, 0.95) (p < .001, p = .56, p = .01, respectively).
Conclusions:
In middle-aged and older euthyroid subjects, high-normal FT3 and low-normal TSH are independently associated with a higher incidence of NAFLD.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:22Effect of Hepatic Disease on Pharmacokinetics: Pathophysiologic Assessment and Liver Function Test
01:25Ultrasound II: Endoscopic Ultrasound and FibroScan
Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS):
01:18Functions of Thyroid Hormones
TH is indispensable for the normal development and maturation of the skeletal, muscular, and nervous systems during fetal and childhood growth. It facilitates bone mineral turnover and regulates protein synthesis in developing tissues, contributing significantly to overall growth and...
01:20Synthesis and Regulation of Thyroid Hormones
Upon reaching the thyroid gland, TSH stimulates the follicular cells' active uptake of iodide ions from the blood. The ions diffuse to the apical surface of the cells and are oxidized to iodine. The...