Table 2.
Selected meta-analyses providing data for the prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
| Study | No. of studies | No. of individuals | Study years | Regions/Countries included | Main findings | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riazi et al. [3] (2022) | 72 | 1,030,160 | 1994–2019 | Asia (63 studies), Europe (7 studies), North America (USA only), Africa (Egypt only) | The estimated global prevalence was 32.4% | Limited data from North America and Africa; no data from South America |
| Prevalence was higher in men (39.7%) than in women (25.6%) | ||||||
| Prevalence increased over time, from 25.5% ≤2005 to 37.8% ≥2016 | ||||||
| Le et al. [12] (2021) | 245 | 5,399,254 | 1991–2018 | Asia (182 studies), Europe (11 studies), North America (3 studies), South America (4 studies), Africa (2 studies) | Estimated global prevalence 29.8% | Limited data from North America, South America, and Africa |
| Prevalence highest in South America (35.7%) and North America (35.3%) | ||||||
| Prevalence increased from 21.9% in 1991 to 37.3% in 2019 (yearly increase 0.7%) | ||||||
| Younossi et al. [9] (2016) | 86 | 8,515,431 | 1989–2015 | Asia (20 studies), Middle East (3 studies), Europe (21 studies), North America (35 studies), South America (3 studies), Africa (2 studies), Oceania (1 study) | Estimated global prevalence 25.2% | Limited data from South America and Africa Included case series and case-control studies |
| Prevalence highest in South America (30.5%) and the Middle East (31.8%); lowest in Africa (13.5%) | ||||||
| Rojas et al. [43] (2022) | 19 | 5,625 | South America only (Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Peru) | Estimated overall prevalence 59%; prevalence in general and ‘captive’ population 24% | High heterogeneity | |
| A large proportion (2,948) were patients visiting healthcare facilities and hence susceptible to selection bias | ||||||
| Data applicable only to South America | ||||||
| Cholongitas et al. [31] (2021) | 17 | 85,203 | 2005–2018 | Europe | Estimated overall prevalence 26.9% | Studies that used elevated aminotransferases alone as a method for diagnosis of NAFLD were included |
| Prevalence in Mediterranean countries 23.9%, non- Mediterranean countries 28.5% | ||||||
| Prevalence higher in men (32.8%) than women (19.6%) | Data are applicable only to Europe | |||||
| Li et al. [10] (2019) | 237 | 13,044,518 | 1994–2017 | Asia | Estimated overall prevalence 29.6% | Data are applicable only to Asia |
| Prevalence increased over time – 25.3% (1995–2005), 28.5% (2006–2011), 33.9% (2012–2017) |
NAFLD, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.