Vitamin D as a marker of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Ninety patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) aged 39 to 76 years were examined. Women were 71 (78.9 %), men – 19 (21.1 %). The diagnosis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) was made based on an ultrasound examination of the abdominal cavity. The levels of vitamin D in the blood were determined by enzyme immunoassay. NAFLD was detected in 66.7 % of patients with type 2 DM. Vitamin D levels in the blood of patients with NAFLD on the background of type 2 DM were lower, and its deficiency was more common than in cases of DM without NAFLD. Serum vitamin D levels in patients with NAFLD and cholestatic syndrome were lower than in cases of NAFLD without signs of cholestasis. According to regression analysis, the development of NAFLD in type 2 DM is affected by reduced vitamin D levels in the blood and increased values of glucose, alanine aminotransferase, and low-density lipoproteins. Thus, the development of NAFLD against the background of type 2 DM is associated with a decrease in vitamin D concentration in the blood. Serum level of vitamin D less than 16.18 ng/ml can be used as a predictor of NAFLD in patients with type 2 DM.