Alternation of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) and Cardiovascular Risks After Liftestyle Modification: A Ultrasound Attenuation Imaging-Based Study

February 6, 2024 updated by: Professor Winnie W.C. Chu, Chinese University of Hong Kong

Effectiveness of Lifestyle Modification Program in Reversal of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) and Reduction of Cardiovascular Risks in Moderate Obesity: A Ultrasound Attenuation Imaging-Based Study

The prevalence of obesity has significantly increased over the last few decades. The excessive fat accumulation in undesired areas in obese patients may lead to various complications, such as cardiovascular diseases and Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) defined by intrahepatic triglycerides (IHTG) content higher than 5.5%. In Hong Kong, the incidence rate of NAFLD is as high as approximately 13.5%, while 60.5% of obese subjects suffer from NAFLD. NAFLD is found to be a well-established risk factor for chronic kidney disease, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Moreover, obesity is a strong independent risk factor for development of atherosclerosis. It also plays important role in pathogenesis of dyslipidaemia, insulin resistance, hypertension. Both NAFLD and cardiovascular risks can be reversed. Lifestyle modification program(LMP) including diet control and routine exercise has been widely recommended to patients with mild to moderate obesity. It is vital to have a non-invasive, non-ionizing, low cost, accessible or widely available and yet accurate assessment tool to diagnose NAFLD and some cardiovascular risk parameters and serially monitor changes to assess the efficacy of LMP. Ultrasound meets these requirements. To the best of our knowledge there has been no prior study similar to this one. In this study, we aim to assess and validate the diagnostic accuracy of a novel ultrasound attenuation imaging method for NAFLD, and to evaluate the effectiveness of LMP in reversal of NAFLD and reduction of cardiovascular risks in moderate obesity.

A total of forty moderate obese patients with NAFLD will be recruited in this study, divided into lifestyle modification program group(n=20) and usual care group(n=20). All subjects will undergo dietary assessment based on 3-day diet record and power of food scale. Demographic data will be recorded, consisted of age, weight, height, waist circumference, BMI, and so on. Ultrasound attenuation imaging (ATI) will be performed to measure tissue attenuation coefficient so as to evaluate liver steatosis and liver fibrosis stage. Meanwhile, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) will be carried out, which include cardiovascular risks measurement, liver proton density fat fraction (PDFF), volume quantification of abdominal white adipose tissue, liver inflammation and fibrosis assessment. Biochemistry tests will be conducted as supplementary for assessment of NAFLD and cardiovascular risks, comprising liver function test, lipid, fasting glucose, etc.

Study Overview

Status

Terminated

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

10

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Hong Kong
    • Shatin
      • Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
        • The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wale Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

16 years to 63 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • With age range of 18-65 years.
  • With diagnosis of NAFLD.
  • BMI =27.5- 32.4kg/m2 for moderate obesity (Asian population)
  • Written consent form obtained.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Other kind of hepatic diseases or under medications known to affect liver fat accumulation.
  • Excessive alcohol consumption (>20g/d for men and >10g/d for women).
  • Subjects using thyroid hormones, oestrogens, amiodarone, steroids, tamoxifen and beta blockers (e.g. propranolol).
  • Body weight >250kgs and or/ waist circumference > 150cm.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Quadruple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: lifestyle modification program group
Behavioral: Dietitian led life style modification intervention
lifestyle changes supervised by dietitians
Experimental: usual care group (control)
Behavioral: Conventional care (control)
receive routine care

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
intrahepatic triglycerides (IHTG) content
Time Frame: 1 year
change of IHTG content in NAFLD assessed by ultrasound
1 year
cardiovascular risks
Time Frame: 1 year
cardiovascular risks reflected by Intima-media thicknesses of both carotid arteries
1 year

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Chinese University of Hong Kong

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

July 2, 2020

Primary Completion (Actual)

December 31, 2022

Study Completion (Actual)

June 30, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 11, 2020

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 18, 2020

First Posted (Actual)

June 19, 2020

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

February 7, 2024

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 6, 2024

Last Verified

February 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2020.256

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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