Association Between Whole Blood Iron and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Elderly: A Case-Control Study

Our objective is to investigate the correlation between levels of whole blood iron and the prevalence of NAFLD among elderly populations in the community. This investigation is designed as a case-control study, concentrating on community members aged 60 years and older who underwent physical assessments and had their whole blood iron levels tested at local health service centers from April to September 2021. In total, 786 participants qualified for inclusion in the study. Individuals diagnosed with fatty liver were organized into the NAFLD group (393 cases), while the control group (393 cases) consisted of healthy individuals who participated in physical evaluations during the same timeframe. Whole blood iron levels and other pertinent biochemical markers were assessed for both groups, alongside the collection of general demographic data. The results indicated that the whole blood iron concentration in the fatty liver cohort [(483.42 ± 45.59) mg/L] was significantly elevated compared to the control group [(470.16 ± 47.76) mg/L]. Moreover, levels of whole blood iron, whole blood zinc, whole blood magnesium, and serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were all significantly greater in the fatty liver group than in the control group. The multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that, after adjustments for confounding variables such as age and sex, the odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval [CI]) for the occurrence of fatty liver in the lowest whole blood iron quartile (Q1) relative to the highest quartile (Q4) was 0.44 (95% CI: 0.25, 0.76). This research demonstrates a strong link between whole blood iron levels and the development of fatty liver within this community. Tracking whole blood iron concentrations could be crucial for the early detection and intervention of fatty liver. As this is a case-control study, the causal relationship between whole blood iron and NAFLD cannot be established.