Medicine
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Item Validation of the World Health Organization/ International Society of Hypertension (WHO/ISH) cardiovascular risk predictions in Sri Lankans based on findings from a prospective cohort study(Public Library of Science, 2021) Thulani, U.B.; Mettananda, K.C.D.; Warnakulasuriya, D.T.D.; Peiris, T.S.G.; Kasturiratne, K.T.A.A.; Ranawaka, U.K.; Chakrewarthy, S.; Dassanayake, A.S.; Kurukulasooriya, S.A.F.; Niriella, M.A.; de Silva, S.T.; Pathmeswaran, A.; Kato, N.; de Silva, H.J.; Wickremasinghe, A.R.INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: There are no cardiovascular (CV) risk prediction models for Sri Lankans. Different risk prediction models not validated for Sri Lankans are being used to predict CV risk of Sri Lankans. We validated the WHO/ISH (SEAR-B) risk prediction charts prospectively in a population-based cohort of Sri Lankans. METHOD: We selected 40-64 year-old participants from the Ragama Medical Officer of Health (MOH) area in 2007 by stratified random sampling and followed them up for 10 years. Ten-year risk predictions of a fatal/non-fatal cardiovascular event (CVE) in 2007 were calculated using WHO/ISH (SEAR-B) charts with and without cholesterol. The CVEs that occurred from 2007-2017 were ascertained. Risk predictions in 2007 were validated against observed CVEs in 2017. RESULTS: Of 2517 participants, the mean age was 53.7 year (SD: 6.7) and 1132 (45%) were males. Using WHO/ISH chart with cholesterol, the percentages of subjects with a 10-year CV risk <10%, 10-19%, 20%-29%, 30-39%, ≥40% were 80.7%, 9.9%, 3.8%, 2.5% and 3.1%, respectively. 142 non-fatal and 73 fatal CVEs were observed during follow-up. Among the cohort, 9.4% were predicted of having a CV risk ≥20% and 8.6% CVEs were observed in the risk category. CVEs were within the predictions of WHO/ISH charts with and without cholesterol in both high (≥20%) and low(<20%) risk males, but only in low(<20%) risk females. The predictions of WHO/ISH charts, with-and without-cholesterol were in agreement in 81% of subjects (ĸ = 0.429; p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: WHO/ISH (SEAR B) risk prediction charts with-and without-cholesterol may be used in Sri Lanka. Risk charts are more predictive in males than in females and for lower-risk categories. The predictions when stratifying into 2 categories, low risk (<20%) and high risk (≥20%), are more appropriate in clinical practice.Item Ultrasound parameters of pelvic organs and their age-related changes in a cohort of asymptomatic postmenopausal women: A community-based study.(Sage Publishing, 2020) Dias, T.D.; Palihawadana, T.S.; Patabendige, M.; Motha, M.B.; de Silva, H.J.No abstract available.Item Novel genetic associations for blood pressure identified via gene-alcohol interaction in up to 570K individuals across multiple ancestries(Public Library of Science, 2018) Feitosa, M.F.; Kraja, A.T.; Chasman, D.I.; Sung, Y.J.; Winkler, T.W.; Ntalla, I.; Guo, X.; Franceschini, N.; Cheng, C.Y.; Sim, X.; Vojinovic, D.; Marten, J.; Musani, S.K.; Li, C.; Bentley, A.R.; Brown, M.R.; Scwander, K.; Richard, M.A.; Noordam, R.; Aschard, H.; Bartz, T.M.; Bielak, L.F.; Dorajoo, R.; Fishaer, V.; Hartwig, F.P.; Horimoto, A.R.V.R.; Lohman, K.K.; Manning, A.K.; Rankinen, T.; Smith, A.V.; Tajiddin, S.M.; Wojczynski, M.K.; Alver, M.; Boissel, M.; Cai, Q.; Campbell, A.; Chai, J.F.; Chen, X.; Divers, J.; Gao, C.; Goel, A.; Hagemeijer, Y.; Harris, S.E.; He, M.; Hsu, F.C.; Jackson, A.U.; Kahonen, M.; Kasturiratne, A.; Komulainen, P.; Kuhnel, B.; Laguzzi, F.; Luan, J.; Matoba, N.; Nolte, I.M.; Padmanabhan, S.; Riaz, M.; Rueedi, R.; Robino, A.; Said, M.A.; Scott, R.A.; Soffer, T.; Stancakova, A.; Takeuchi, F.; Tayo, B.O.; van de Most, P.J.; Varga, T.V.; Vitart, V.; Wang, Y.; Ware, E.B.; Warren, H.R.; Weiss, S.; Wen, W.; Yanek, L.R.; Zhang, W.; Zhao, J.H.; Afaq, S.; Amin, N.; Amini, M.; Arking, D.E.; Aung, T.; Boerwinkle, E.; Borecki, I.; Broecki, I.; Broeckel, U.; Brown, M.; Brumat, M.; Burke, G.L.; Canouil, M.; Chakravarthi, A.; Charumathi, S.; Ida Chen, Y.D.; Connel, J.M.; Correa, A.; de Las Fuentes, L.; de Mutsert, R.; de Silva, H.J.; Deng, X.; Ding, J.; Duan, Q.; Eaton, C.B.; Ehret, G.; Eppinga, R.N.; Evangelou, E.; Faul, J.D.; Felix, S.B.; Forouhi, N.G.; Forrester, T.; Franco, O.H.; Friedlander, Y.; Gandin, I.; Gao, H.; Ghanbari, M.; Gigante, B.; Gu, C.C.; Gu, D.; Hagenaars, S.P.; Halmans, G.; Harris, T.B.; He, J.; Heikkinen, S.; Heng, C.K.; Hirata, M.; Howard, B.V.; Ikram, M.A.; InterAct Consortium; John, U.; Katsuya, T.; Lakka, T.A.; Langefeld, C.D.; Langenberg, C.; Launer, L.J.; Lehne, B.; Lewis, C.E.; Li, Y.; Lin, S.; Lin, U.; Liu, J.; Liu, J.; Loh, M.; Louie, T.; Magi, R.; McKenzie, C.A.; Meitinger, T.; Metspalu, A.; Milaneschi, Y.; Milani, L.; mohlke, K.L.; Momozawa, Y.; Nalls, M.A.; Nelson, C.P.; Sotoodehnia, N.; Norris, J.M.; O'Connel, J.R.; Palmer, N.D.; Perls, T.; Pedersen, N.L.; Peters, A.; Peyser, P.A.; Poulter, N.; Raffel, L.J.; Raitakari, O.T.; Roll, K.; Rose, L.M.; Rosendaal, F.R.; Rotter, J.I.; Schimidit, C.O.; Schreiner, P.J.; Schupf, N.; Scott, W.R.; Sever, P.S.; Shi, Y.; Sidney, S.; Sims, M.; Sitlani, C.M.; Smith, J.A.; Snieder, H.; Starr, J.M.; Strauch, K.; Stringham, H.M.; Tan, N.Y.Q.; Tang, H.; Taylor, K.D.; Teo, Y.Y.; Tham, Y.C.; Turner, S.C.; Uitterlinden, A.G.; Vollenweider, P.; Waldenberger, M.; Wang, L.; Wang, Y.X.; Wei, W.B.; Williams, C.; Yao, J.; Yuan, J.M.; Zhao, W.; Zonderman, A.B.; Becker, D.M.; Boehnke, M.; Bowden, D.W.; Chambers, J.C.; Deary, I.J.; Esco, T.; Farall, M.; Frankd, P.W.; Freedman, B.I.; Froguel, P.; Gasparini, P.; Gieger, C.; Jonas, J.B.; Kamatani, Y.; Kato, N.; Kooner, J.S.; Kutalik, Z.; Laakso, M.; Laurie, C.C.; Leander, K.; Lehtimaki, T.; Study, L.C.; Magnusson, P.K.E.; Olderhinkel, A.J.; Penninx, B.W.J.H.; Polasek, O.; Porteous, D.J.; Rauramaa, R.; Ssamani, N.J.; Scott, J.; Shu, X.O.; van der Harst, P.; Wagenknecht, L.E.; Wareham, N.J.; Watkins, H.; Weir, D.R.; Wickremasinghe, A.R.; Wu, T.; Zheng, W.; Bouchard, C.; Christensen, K.; Evans, M.K.; Gudnason, V.; Horta, B.L.; Kardia, S.L.R.; Liu, Y.; Pereira, A.C.; Psaty, B.M.; Ridker, P.M.; van Dam, R.M.; Gauderman, W.J.; Zhu, X.; Mook-Kanamori, D.O.; Fornage, M.; Rotimi, C.N.; Cupples, L.A.; Kelly, T.N.; Fox, E.R.; Hayward, C.; van Duijn, C.M.; Tai, E.S.; Wong, T.Y.; Kooperberg, C.; Palmas, W.; Rice, K.; Morrison, A.C.; Elliott, P.; Caulfield, M.J.; Munroe, P.B.; Rao, D.C.; Province, M.A.; Levy, D.Heavy alcohol consumption is an established risk factor for hypertension; the mechanism by which alcohol consumption impact blood pressure (BP) regulation remains unknown. We hypothesized that a genome-wide association study accounting for gene-alcohol consumption interaction for BP might identify additional BP loci and contribute to the understanding of alcohol-related BP regulation. We conducted a large two-stage investigation incorporating joint testing of main genetic effects and single nucleotide variant (SNV)-alcohol consumption interactions. In Stage 1, genome-wide discovery meta-analyses in ≈131K individuals across several ancestry groups yielded 3,514 SNVs (245 loci) with suggestive evidence of association (P < 1.0 x 10-5). In Stage 2, these SNVs were tested for independent external replication in ≈440K individuals across multiple ancestries. We identified and replicated (at Bonferroni correction threshold) five novel BP loci (380 SNVs in 21 genes) and 49 previously reported BP loci (2,159 SNVs in 109 genes) in European ancestry, and in multi-ancestry meta-analyses (P < 5.0 x 10-8). For African ancestry samples, we detected 18 potentially novel BP loci (P < 5.0 x 10-8) in Stage 1 that warrant further replication. Additionally, correlated meta-analysis identified eight novel BP loci (11 genes). Several genes in these loci (e.g., PINX1, GATA4, BLK, FTO and GABBR2) have been previously reported to be associated with alcohol consumption. These findings provide insights into the role of alcohol consumption in the genetic architecture of hypertensionItem Patterns of alcohol use and occurrence of alcoholic fatty liver disease: a prospective, community cohort, 7-year follow-up study(Sri Lanka Medical Association, 2017) Niriella, M.A.; de Silva, S.T.; Kasturiratne, A.; Perera, K.R.; Subasinghe, S.K.C.E.; Kodisinghe, S.K.; Piyaratna, T.A.C.L.; Vithiya, K.; Dassanayake, A.S.; de Silva, A.P.; Pathmeswaran, A.; Wickremasinghe, A.R.; Kato, N.; de Silva, H.J.INTRODUCTION & OBJECTIVES: Data is limited on alcoholic fatty liver disease (AFLD). We investigated patterns of alcohol use and AFLD, among urban, adult, Sri Lankans. METHODS: Study population (selected by age-stratified random sampling from Ragama MOH-area) was screened initially in 2007 (35-64 years) and re-evaluated in 2014. On both occasions they were assessed by structured-interview, anthropometric measurements, liver ultrasound, biochemical and serological tests. AFLD was diagnosed on ultrasound criteria, unsafe alcohol consumption (Asian standards: males>14units, females>7units per week) and absence of hepatitis B/C markers. Controls were individuals with unsafe alcohol consumption, but had no ultrasound criteria of AFLD. Case-control genetic-association for PNPLA3 (rs738409) polymorphism for AFLD was performed. RESULTS: A total of 2983/3012 (99%) had complete data. 272/2983(9.1%) were unsafe-drinkers [males- 70; mean-age 51.9 (SD-8.0) years]. 86/2983 (2.9%) of the cohort and 86/272 (31.6%) of unsafe-drinkers had AFLD [males-85; mean-age 50.2 (SD-8.6) years]. Males [p<0.001], increased waist circumference (WC) [p=0.001], BMI>23kg/m2 [p<0.001], raised triglycerides (TG) [p<0.001], low education level (LEL-not completed secondary-education) [p<0.01] and low monthly household-income (23kg/m2 [p<0.001], raised TG [p<0.001] and LEL [p<0.05] independently predicted incident-AFLD. The genetic association study [133-cases (combined 2007-2014), 97-controls] showed no association with AFLD at PNPLA3 (rs738409). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of AFLD was 2.9% in 2007 and annual incidence among heavy drinkers, after 7-year follow-up was 5.7%. Incident-AFLD was associated with males, obesity, raised TG and LEL.Item Incidence, prevalence and demographic and life style risk factors for obesity among urban, adult Sri Lankans: a community cohort follow-up study(Sri Lanka Medical Association, 2017) Niriella, M.A.; de Silva, S.T.; Kasturiratne, A.; Kottachchi, D.; Ranasinghe, R.M.A.G.; Dassanayake, A.S.; de Silva, A.P.; Pathmeswaran, A.; Wickremasinghe, A.R.; Kato, N.; de Silva, H.J.INTRODUCTION & OBJECTIVES: Obesity is a global problem. Data from the South Asian region is limited. METHODS: In a cohort follow-up study we investigated obesity among urban, adult, Sri Lankans (35-64y; selected by age-stratified random sampling from Ragama-MOH area; initial screening 2007; re-evaluation 2014). On both occasions structured interview, anthropometry, liver ultrasound, biochemical and serological tests were performed. Total body fat (TBF) and visceral fat percentage (VFP) were assessed by impedance in 2014. General-obesity (GO) was BMI>25kg/m2. Central-obesity (CO) was waist circumference (WC)>90cm males and WC>80cm females. Multinomial logistic regression was fitted to assess associations. RESULTS: In 2007 (n=2967), 614 (20.7%) were overweight [51.9%-women], 1161(39.1%) had GO [65.9%-women] and 1584(53.4%) had CO [71%-women]. Females (p<0.001), raised-TG (p<0.001), low-HDL (p<0.001), diabetes (p<0.001), hypertension (p<0.001), NAFLD (p<0.001), and low household income (p<0.001) were significantly associated with prevalent GO and CO respectively. Additionally, increased-age (p=0.05), low-educational level (p<0.001) and unhealthy eating (p<0.001) were associated with prevalent CO. Inadequate physical activity was not associated with either. 2137 (72%) attended follow-up in 2014. Of those who were initially non-obese who attended follow-up, 189/1270 (14.9%) [64% women] had developed GO (annual-incidence 2.13%) and 206/947 (21.9%) [56.3% women] had developed CO (annual incidence 3.12%) after 7 years. TBF and VFP significantly correlated with incident GO and CO (p<0.001). Female gender (OR-1.78, p<0.001; 2.81, p<0.001) and NAFLD (OR-2.93, p<0.001; OR-2.27, p<0.001) independently predicted incident GO and CO respectively. CONCLUSION: The prevalence and incidence of GO and CO were high in this cohort. Both incident GO and CO were strongly associated with female gender and NAFLD.Item Lean non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (Lean-NAFLD): characteristics and risk factors from a community cohort follow up study(Sri Lanka Medical Association, 2016) Niriella, M.A.; de Silva, S.T.; Kasturiratne, A.; Perera, K.R.; Subasinghe, S.K.C.E.; Kodisinghe, S.K.; Piyaratna, T.A.C.L.; Vithiya, K.; Dassanayake, A.S.; de Silva, A.P.; Pathmeswaran, A.; Wickremasinghe, A.R.; Kato, N.; de Silva, H.J.INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is usually associated with obesity. However, some NAFLD patients are lean. We assessed the characteristics and risk factors for lean-NAFLD. METHOD: In a community cohort follow up study (initial screening-2007, re-evaluation-2014), NAFLD was established on USS criteria and exclusion of alcohol overuse and secondary causes. Lean (BMI <23 kg/m2) and non-lean (BMI ≥23 kg/m2) NAFLD were compared. The two groups were compared for differences in gender, diabetes, hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, low-HDL, weight and waist circumference (WC) at baseline. They were also compared for differences in development of incident diabetes, hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, low-HDL, and change in weight and WC. RESULTS: 678 (69.6%) individuals with NAFLD detected in 2007 presented for follow up in 2014. 78(11.5%) [males-32(41%); mean-age 53.7(SD-7.1) years] were lean and 600(88.5%) [males-191(31.8%); mean-age 52.3(SD-7.5) years] were non-lean. Hypertension (p=0.007) and a smaller WC (<90cm for males, <80cm for females) (p<0.001) were associated with lean-NAFLD. After 7 years, change in BMI was less (p=0.022) among lean-NAFLD. There were no differences in change in WC or incident metabolic co-morbidities. Of those who did not have NAFLD in 2007, 746 developed incident NAFLD in 2014; lean-NAFLD 193/746 (25.9%) [males-100(51.8%); mean age 59.6(SD-7.5)], non-lean-NAFLD 553/746 (74.1%) [males-201(36.3%); mean age 58.2(SD-7.7)]. On logistic regression analysis, presence of diabetes (p=0.002, OR 2.1) and raised WC (p=0.003, OR 1.7) were associated with incident lean-NAFLD. CONCLUSIONS: Among individuals with NAFLD, lean-NAFLD is associated with hypertension and smaller WC. In the community, diabetes and bigger WC predict incident lean-NAFLD.Item Natural history of inflammatory bowel disease in Asia: A follow-up population-based cohort study(American Gastroenterological Association(AGA) Institute, Published by Elsevier Inc., 2014) Ng, S.C.; Tang, W.; de Silva, H.J.; Niriella, M.A.; Senanayake, Y.U.; Ooi, C.J.; Ling, K-L; Ong, D.E.; Goh, K.L.; Hilmi, I.; Ouyang, Q.; Wang, Y-F.; Hu, P.; Chen, M.; Zeng, Z.; Zhu, Z.; Wu, K.; Wang, X.; Pisespongsa, P.; Manatsathit, S.; Aniwan, S.; Simadibrata, M.; Abdullah, M.; Tsang, S.; Wong, T.; Leung, V.; Lo, F.H.; Hui, A.R.; Chow, C.M.; Yu, H.H.; Li, M.F.; Ng, K.K.; Ching, J.; Sung, J.J.Y.; Chan, F.K.L.BACKGROUND AND AIM: Data on the natural history of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in population-based setting in Asia are scarce. It is not clear if IBD disease course differs between Asian and Western cohorts. METHODS: In a population-based incident cohort from eight countries in Asia, we identified 259 IBD patients diagnosed between 2011 and 2013, including 158 ulcerative colitis (UC) and 101 Crohn's disease (CD) with a median follow up of 15 months (range, 12-31 months). The risk of disease extent and behaviour change according to the Montreal classification, and probability of medical or surgical therapy were prospectively assessed. RESULTS: Median age at diagnosis was 29 years (Interquartile range, IQR, 20-44) for CD, and 41 years (IQR, 30-54) for UC. At diagnosis, in CD, ileo-colonic disease (51%) and inflammatory behaviour (67%) were the most frequent phenotype. At one year, cumulative probability of behavior change from inflammatory to stricturing or penetrating disease was 18%, and cumulative rate of colectomy was 8%. In CD cumulative probabilities of receiving 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA), corticosteroids, immune-suppressants and anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy were 61%, 43%, 66% and 10%, respectively, at one year. In UC, disease extent at diagnosis was evenly distributed including 31% with proctitis, 37% with left sided disease and 32% with extensive colitis. Disease extension occurred during follow-up in 19% of patients. Cumulative rate of colectomy at one year was 1%. In UC cumulative probabilities of receiving 5-ASA, corticosteroids and immunesuppressants were 91%, 28% and 13%, respectively at one year. There were two mortalities at maximal follow-up from lung carcinoma and severe sepsis. CONCLUSION: In this populationbased follow-up study, clinical presentation and early disease course in Asian IBD patients appear comparable to that of Western patients. Progression to complicated behavior and accelerated use of immunesuppressants is common in CD. Early surgical rate for UC in Asia remains low. Understanding the natural history of IBD in our population can help optimize therapeutic interventions. Reference: SC Ng, et al. Incidence and Phenotype of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Based on Results from the Asia-Pacific Crohn's and Colitis Epidemiologic Study. Gastroenterology 2013; 145(1):158-165Item The role of reflux in the genesis of respiratory symptoms in a cohort of adult asthmatics in Sri Lanka(Wiley-Blackwell, 2010) Amarasiri, L.; Ranasinha, C.D.; Pathmeswaran, A.; de Silva, H.J.INTRODUCTION: The oesophagus and airways have a common origin. Reflux related respiratory symptoms may be triggered by aspiration of gastric refluxate into airways or a vagally mediated oesophago-tracheo-bronchial. This association has not been reported previously in Sri Lanka. The aim of this study was to describe the association between gastro-oesophageal reflux (GOR) events and respiratory symptoms in a cohort of adult asthmatics in Sri Lanka. METHODS: Thirty stable, mild asthmatics (American Thoracic Society criteria) underwent dual-sensor ambulatory oesophageal pH monitoring. Respiratory symptoms (cough, wheeze, difficult breathing, chest tightness) during monitoring were recorded and correlated with reflux events. RESULTS: Both proximal and distal GOR parameters were significantly higher in asthmatics than controls (P < 0.050; Mann–Whitney U-test). However, there was no difference in any parameter between asthmatics with and without respiratory symptoms. Abnormal proximal acid reflux was documented in 66.7% and distal reflux in 73.3% of 30 asthmatics. Of 102 respiratory symptoms in all asthmatics, majority (72%) were cough episodes. In total, 93% of coughs, 81% of wheeze and all of chest tightness was reflux-associated, where in most, reflux events preceded respiratory symptoms. Of 15 asthmatics with respiratory symptoms, acid exposure was normal in 4 (26%), abnormally high in proximal oesophagus in 9 (60%) and abnormally high in the distal oesophagus in 11 (73%) and abnormal at both levels in 8 (53%). Most reflux events in asthmatics occurred in the upright position. CONCLUSION: Asthmatics have more GOR and associated respiratory symptoms than non-asthmatic volunteers, with reflux episodes preceding respiratory symptoms in most cases. Distal GOR and upright acid exposure was more prominent than proximal GOR.Item Incidence and risk factors for Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in an urban, adult Sri Lankan population – a community cohort follow-up study(Sage Publishing, 2015) Niriella, M.; Kasturiratne, A.; de Silva, S.; Perera, R.; Subasinghe, C.; Kodisinghe, K.; Priyantha, C.; Rishikeshavan, V.; Dassanayake, A.; de Silva, A.; Pathmeswaran, A.; Kato, N.; de Silva, H.J.INTRODUCTION: We previously reported a community prevalence of 33% for NAFLD in an urban, adult Sri Lankan population. We also found a significant association between patatin-like phospholipase domain containing 3 (PNPLA3) gene rs738409 polymorphism, and susceptibility to NAFLD in the same population, after testing 10 selected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a case control study. AIMS & METHODS: The aim of this study was to assess the incidence and risk factors for NAFLD in this population after seven years of follow-up. The study population consisted of 42-71-year-old adults, originally selected by age stratified random sampling from electoral lists from Ragama, Sri Lanka. The target population was screened initially in 2007 and subsequently invited back for re-evaluation in 2014. On both occasions they were assessed using a structured interview, clinical and anthropometric measurements, liver ultrasound, and biochemical and serological tests. NAFLD was diagnosed on established ultrasound criteria for fatty liver (two out of three criteria: increased echogenecity of the liver compared to kidney and spleen, obliteration of the vascular architecture of the liver and deep attenuation of the ultrasonic signal), safe alcohol consumption (Asian standards: 514 units/week for men, 57 units/week for females) and absence of hepatitis B and C markers. Non-NAFLD controls were defined as subjects who did not have any of the ultrasound criteria for NAFLD. We also performed an updated case-control study to investigate associations of selected genetic variants with incident NAFLD [SNPs: PNPLA3 (rs738409), LYPLAL1 (rs12137855), GCKR (rs780094), PPP1R3B (rs4240624) and NCAN (rs2228603), APOC3 (rs2854117 and rs2854116), ADIPOR2 (rs767870) and STAT3 (rs6503695 and rs9891119)]. RESULTS: Of the 2985 original study participants, 2155 (72.2%) (1244 women and 911 men; mean age 59.2 years [SD, 7.7]) participated in the follow-up assessment. 1322 [mean age 58.9 years (SD, 7.6), 483 (53.0%) men and 839 (67.4%) women] had NAFLD. Out of 795 [466 (58.6%) women] participants who did not have NAFLD in the original study, 365 [226 (61.9%) women, mean age 58.6 years (SD, 7.9)] had developed NAFLD after 7 years, giving an annual incidence rate 6.6%. On multivariate analysis, increased waist circumference [OR 1.96(1.30 – 2.97), p=0.001], BMI4 23 kg/m2 [OR 2.93(1.99 – 4.30), p50.001] and raised plasma triglycerides (TG) [OR 1.49(1.03 – 2.13), p=0.03] were independently predictive of incident NAFLD in this cohort, while raised BP and reduced HDL, were not. In the updated association study involving 1310 cases and 427 controls, we found borderline association with NAFLD at two of the 10 candidate loci: rs4240624 at PPP1R3B and rs738409 at PNPLA3 (one-tailed P=0.044 and 0.033, respectively). CONCLUSION: In this community cohort follow-up study in an urban, adult population in Sri Lanka, the annual incidence of NAFLD was 6.6%. Incident NAFLD was associated with features of the metabolic syndrome, and showed tendency of association at PNPLA3 and PPP1R3B gene polymorphisms. Disclosure of Interest: None declaredItem Profile of gastric varices among Sri Lankan cirrhotics(Wiley Blackwell Scientific Publications, 2012) Ranawaka, C.K.; Mettananda, K.C.D.; de Alwis, R.; Miththinda, J.K.N.D.; Wijewantha, H.S.; Niriella, M.A.; Dassanayake, A.S.; de Silva, A.P.; de Silva, H.J.BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Gastric varices (GV) can result in life threatening bleeding with a higher mortality than esophageal varices. There have been no studies on the characteristics of GV among Sri Lankan cirrhotics. Aim of this study was to perform a descriptive analysis of GV among a cohort of Sri Lankan cirrhotic population. METHODS: We analyzed medical records of all upper gastrointestinal endoscopies performed on cirrhotics, at the University Endoscopy Unit, Colombo North Teaching Hospital, Ragama, Sri Lanka from 2006 to 2011. Characteristics of GV, demographics, indications and fi ndings at endoscopy were analyzed and they were compared among patients with Oesophageal varices (EV). RESULTS: Out of 641 cirrhotics screened, 628 had a complete data set for analysis. GV was detected in 70 (11%) patients; male:female 8.7:1.3; mean age 55 (SD = ± 10.7) years. From these 48/70 had EV (Gastro Oesophageal Varices GOV1 – 18/48, GOV2 – 30/48) in addition to GV. Only 22/70 had Isolated GV (IGV1–10, IGV2–12). Among patients with GV 38 (54%) had portal hypertensive gastropathy and 3 (4%) had gastric antral vascular ectasia. Nineteen (27%) of GV were detected on presentations with UGIB (6 with IGV, 13 with GOV), whereas 51 (73%) were detected on routine screening. EV was detected in 288 (46%) of cirrhotics (Isolated EV 240, GOV 48). Seventy seven (32%) of EV were detected on presentations with UGIB, whereas 163 (68%) were detected on routine screening. There was no statistically significant difference on presentation with UGIB between isolated EV (77/240) vs. IGV (6/22) patients (p = 0.64; χ2 = 0.2). CONCLUSION: The profi le of GV among our cirrhotics is comparable to previous reports from other centres. Findings suggest that in cirrhotic patients presenting with UGIB, a careful search for the presence of GV is as important as identifying EV, even among patients who have EV.