Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) exposure and risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in the elderly: Results from NHANES 2003-2014

Abstract

Abstract This study aimed to investigate the association between PFASs exposure and the risk of NAFLD in the elderly. Our sample included 1420 participants (≥ 60 years) from the 2003–2014 NHANES study with available serum PFASs, covariates and outcomes. NAFLD was defined based on the hepatic steatosis index. Weighted binary logistic regression was utilized to calculate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals for each chemical. Results suggested that each one unit increase in ln-transformed concentration of PFOA was positively associated with risk of NAFLD in adjusted models. PFNA was also significantly associated with NAFLD incidence in adjusted linear regression. The effect of PFOA or PFNA on NAFLD development was found to be linear in the trend test. This study added novel evidence that exposure to PFASs (PFOA and PFNA) might be associated with NAFLD development.