Association of Liver Enzymes with 10-year Cardiovascular Disease Risk: A Population-Based Study

Abstract

Background: The association between liver enzymes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) was previously demonstrated. This study investigated the possible association between liver enzymes and the 10-year risk of cardiovascular events. Methods: The study consisted of 3199 subjects. Two risk-assessment methods, the framingham risk score (FRS) and American college of cardiology and American heart association (ACC/AHA) tools, were used to predict 10-year cardiovascular risks. The association between liver enzymes and ≥ 7.5%, ≥ 10%, and ≥ 20% 10-year CVD risks were evaluated. Results: In the multivariate analysis, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was significantly associated with 10-year CVD risks in both men and women (P < 0.05). No significant association was detected between 10-year CVD risks and gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT). According to both risk-assessment tools, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) showed a significant inverse association with 10-year CVD risks in men (all P < 0.001). In contrast, this association was significant in women only for ≥ 7.5% and ≥ 10% 10-year risks using the ACC/AHA (P = 0.018) and Framingham tools, respectively (P = 0.028). Conclusions: While ALP exhibited an independent positive association with 10-year CVD risks in both genders, ALT showed an inverse association with10-year CVD risks in men and with some levels of risks in women.