Peculiarities of the Course of Somatized and Anxiety Disorders in Patients with Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease on the Background of Abdominal Obesity

Abstract

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in overweight and obese patients not only complicates the course of chronic somatic diseases, but also increases the risk of non-psychotic mental disorders in this category of patients (depression, anxiety disorders, panic attacks). The purpose of study was to determine the features of non-psychotic mental disorders in obese patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The Screening for Somatoform Symptoms–2 and the Taylor test were used to assess the presence of non-psychotic mental disorders. Somatized disorders in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease on the background of obesity were recorded 9.6 times more often (D=0.579, p=0.0001<0.05) than in people with normal body mass index, mainly due to gastrointestinal and asthenic symptoms. Very high levels of anxiety were also recorded 2.5 times more often (p=0.007<0.05) than among patients in the control group.