comparison of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) vs alcoholic liver disease

Last reviewed 02/2021

general features comparing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) vs alcoholic liver disease


feature

NAFLD

alcoholic liver disease

body weight

increased

variable

fasting plasma glucose or HbA1c

increased

normal

reported daily alcohol intake

<20 g for women, <30 g for men

>20 g for women, >30 g for men

alanine aminotransferase (ALT)

increased or normal

increased or normal

aspartate aminotransferasse (AST)

normal

increased

AST:ALT ratio

<0.8 (>0.8 in advanced disease)

>1.5

γ glutamyltransferase (GGT)

increased or normal

considerably increased

triglycerides

increased

variable, may be considerably increased

HDL cholesterol

low

increased

mean corpuscular volume

normal

increased

Reference: