Original Research

Prevalence and Associated Factors of Hepatic Steatosis in Patients with Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Real-World Experience From a Private Healthcare Facility of South Punjab, Pakistan

Qazi Masroor Ali1
Aleena Hospital, Bahawalpur, Pakistan
Saba Anjum2
Tadawi Speciality Hospital, Dubai
Raheel Khan3
Bahawal Victoria Hospital, Bahawalpur, Pakistan
Ali Imran4
Quaid e Azam Medical College, Bahawalpur, Pakistan
Sadaf Shafiq4
Quaid e Azam Medical College, Bahawalpur, Pakistan
Aleena Masroor5
Shahida Islam Medical College, Lodhran, Pakistan

✉ Correspondence: Qazi Masroor Ali Email: masroorqazi@outlook.com

DOI https://doi.org/10.70302/jpsim.v6i3.2552
Volume: 6, Issue 3 Pages: 279–283 Published: 23 Aug 2025
Received: 03 Feb 2025 Revised: 18 Feb 2025 Accepted: 26 Jul 2025 Published Online: 23 Aug 2025

Abstract

Objective

To determine the prevalence and associated demographic, clinical, and biochemical factors of hepatic steatosis (HS) in patients of type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Outpatient Department of Medicine, Aleena Hospital, Bahawalpur, Pakistan from 1st January 2024 to 30th September 2024. Patients of either gender, aged 18 to 85 years, having T2DM, and willing to participate, were included. All patients underwent liver ultrasound, conducted by an experienced radiologist with experience of more than 20 years in hepatic imaging. HS grades were defined as S0 (normal liver), S1 (slight increase in echogenicity), S2 (clear increase with mild steatosis), and S3 (marked steatosis with poor visualization).

Results

In a total of 303 patients, 184 (60.7%) were female. The mean age was 49.7±10.9 years, ranging between 18-85 years. The mean BMI was 27.9±5.6 kg/m2, while obesity was identified in 88 (29.0%) patients. The mean duration of T2DM was 7.20±5.44 years. Hypertension was present in 123 (40.6%) patients. Family history of DM was reported in 139 (45.9%) patients. HS staging S0, S1, S2, and S3 were diagnosed in 140 (46.2%), 114 (37.6%), 42 (13.9%), and 7 (2.3%) patients, respectively. The severity of HS was significantly associated with relatively shorter duration of T2DM (p=0.045).

Conclusion

The prevalence of HS is very high in patients with T2DM. All T2DM patients should be assessed for hepatic complications for the timely identification and management.

Keywords
Body mass index hepatic steatosis hypertension obesity type-2 diabetes mellitus.

How to Cite This Article

Ali QM, Anjum S, Khan R, Imran A, Shafiq S, Masroor A. Prevalence and Associated Factors of Hepatic Steatosis in Patients with Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Real-World Experience From a Private Healthcare Facility of South Punjab, Pakistan. J Pak Soc Intern Med. 2025;6(3):279–283. doi:10.70302/jpsim.v6i3.2552

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Conflict of Interest

All authors declare no competing interests.

Disclosed in accordance with ICMJE and COPE guidelines.

Funding

No specific funding was received for this research.

Funder information follows the Crossref Funder Registry standard.

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CC BY CC BY 4.0 This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. May be shared and adapted with attribution. © 2025 Journal of Pakistan Society of Internal Medicine.
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