Liver fibrosis and fatty liver as independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease - PubMed (original) (raw)

. 2021 Oct;36(10):2960-2966.

doi: 10.1111/jgh.15589. Epub 2021 Jul 8.

Masayuki Kurosaki 1, Yuka Takahashi 2, Yoshie Itakura 2, Kento Inada 1, Sakura Kirino 1, Koji Yamashita 1, Shuhei Sekiguchi 1, Yuka Hayakawa 1, Leona Osawa 1, Mayu Higuchi 1, Kenta Takaura 1, Chiaki Maeyashiki 1, Shun Kaneko 1, Yutaka Yasui 1, Kaoru Tsuchiya 1, Hiroyuki Nakanishi 1, Jun Itakura 1, Namiki Izumi 1

Affiliations

Liver fibrosis and fatty liver as independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease

Nobuharu Tamaki et al. J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2021 Oct.

Abstract

Background and aim: The association between liver fibrosis, fatty liver, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk is unknown. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the association of liver fibrosis and fatty liver with CVD risk independent of already known CVD risk comorbidities.

Methods: This is a prospective study registered with the University Hospital Medical Information Network clinical trial registry (UMIN000036175). Liver fibrosis was assessed by serum fibrosis markers including FIB-4, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease fibrosis score (NFS), and Wisteria floribunda agglutinin-positive Mac-2 binding protein (WFA+ -M2BP), whereas fatty liver was diagnosed by ultrasonography. CVD risk was evaluated using the Framingham risk score (FRS), and a high CVD risk was defined as an FRS ≥ 20%.

Results: A total of 3512 subjects were enrolled, and high CVD risk (FRS ≥ 20%) was observed in 17.5%. Advanced fibrosis (FIB-4 ≥ 2.67, NFS ≥ 0.675, and WFA+ -M2BP ≥ 1.0) and the presence of fatty liver were significantly associated with high CVD risk independent of diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and hypertension. When subjects were stratified by liver fibrosis and fatty liver, subjects with advanced fibrosis and fatty liver have the highest odds for high CVD risk (odds ratio [OR]: 5.90-35.6), followed by subjects with advanced fibrosis and without fatty liver (OR: 2.53-9.62) using subjects without advanced fibrosis and fatty liver as a reference.

Conclusions: Liver fibrosis and fatty liver were associated with CVD risk independent of already known CVD risk comorbidities. The assessment of liver fibrosis and fatty liver may be useful to identify high CVD risk subjects.

Keywords: Framingham risk score; NAFLD; cardiovascular disease; fatty liver; liver fibrosis.

© 2021 Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Foundation and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Li J, Zou B, Yeo YH et al. Prevalence, incidence, and outcome of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in Asia, 1999-2019: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Gastroenterol. Hepatol. 2019; 4: 389-398.
    1. Younossi Z, Anstee QM, Marietti M et al. Global burden of NAFLD and NASH: trends, predictions, risk factors and prevention. Nat. Rev. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. 2018; 15: 11-20.
    1. Loomba R, Sanyal AJ. The global NAFLD epidemic. Nat. Rev. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. 2013; 10: 686-690.
    1. Sumida Y, Shima T, Mitsumoto Y et al. Epidemiology: pathogenesis, and diagnostic strategy of diabetic liver disease in Japan. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020; 21.
    1. Tampi RP, Wong VW, Wong GL et al. Modelling the economic and clinical burden of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis in East Asia: data from Hong Kong. Hepatol. Res. 2020; 50: 1024-1031.

MeSH terms

Substances

Grants and funding

LinkOut - more resources