Cryptogenic cirrhosis represents the final stage of some occult chronic liver diseases, with NASH being one of the main underlying diseases responsible for these cases. Some studies have looked for an association between cryptogenic cirrhosis and NASH by comparing the "metabolic profile" of the two groups, emphasizing diabetes mellitus and obesity. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of risk factors for NASH in patients with cryptogenic cirrhosis in Porto Alegre, southern Brazil, in order to establish a possible causal relationship. The study was carried out at the ISCMPA Gastroenterology Department between 2008 and 2010. It was concluded that, in assessing the possible etiological relationship between NASH and cryptogenic cirrhosis, the results allow an inference to be made, since a concordance was found in the glycemic profile and a difference between the mean age, suggesting a time necessary for the progression of the disease.