الفهرس 
INTRODUCTIONOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Aging is a physiological process which is associated with complex changes in all organs, and these changes occur at varying rates. With increasing age the prevalence of diseases increases leading to a reduction of functional ability and a decrease in the quality of life. Liver volume is reduced by 20%-40% in the elderly, with these reductions more marked in women (up to 44% decline) than in men. Liver functions are relatively well preserved in elderly individuals.
Diabetes Mellitus is a multifactorial disease, associated with a number of microvascular (retinopathy, neuropathy, dermopathy and nephropathy) and macro vascular (ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease and peripheral vascular diseases) complications. This metabolic disease is one of the most common endocrine disorders affecting almost 6% of the world’s population
Increasing age results in a progressive deterioration in the number and the function of insulin producing beta cells with development of progressive peripheral insulin resistance with age. The combination of abnormal beta cell function with peripheral insulin resistance leads to increased glucose intolerance in normal aged persons. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is emerging as the most common cause of chronic liver disease worldwide, probably related to the increasing incidence of obesity and type-2 diabetes.
The spectrum of NAFLD ranges from simple steatosis to non-alcoholic steato hepatitis, and to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Recently, it has been recognized that NAFLD represents an important burden of disease for patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus. Individuals with type-2 diabetes not only have a high prevalence of NAFLD, up to 70%, but also seem to have an increased severity of disease.
The prevalence of biopsy proven NASH (non-alcoholic steato hepatitis) in asymptomatic type 2 diabetics with normal liver function tests (LFTs) was 20%. NAFLD seems to be linked to insulin resistance and to the metabolic syndrome, and may precede type-2 diabetes development and cardiovascular disease. NAFLD prevalence is growing up to 75-90% when NAFLD is associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and obesity. On the other hand, the prevalence of biopsy proven NASH (non-alcoholic steato hepatitis) in asymptomatic type 2 diabetics with normal liver function tests (LFTs) was 20%.
The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of non- alcoholic fatty liver disease in elderly type 2 diabetes patients and to determine which clinical and laboratory variables are associated with its presence in a type-2 diabetic population.