Why carry out the study?

The prevalence of diabetes in the Chinese adult population is estimated to be as high as 9.7%.

About one- to two-thirds of people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) may develop non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), placing a serious economic burden on healthcare systems and posing health risks to individuals and society.

In this study, factors potentially influencing the development of NAFLD in T2DM were assessed by developing a nomogram risk predictive model, with the aim to identify important risk factors for the development of NAFLD in patients with T2DM.

What was learned from the study?

The results showed that nine indicators, namely sex, age, total cholesterol, body mass index, waistline, diastolic blood pressure, serum uric acid, course of disease and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, are effective risk predictors of NAFLD in T2DM.

The risk nomogram is useful for prediction of NAFLD risk in persons with T2DM, and the nomogram method can also be extrapolated to other complications and study-related risk factors.

The prediction model was established using LASSO regression, logistic regression and a newly developed risk nomogram. This nomogram of NAFLD was validated, and the results were also verified by external verification methods (including ROC, C-INDEX, DCA), with good results.