Family history of coronary heart disease is associated with a higher incidence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: Central obesity the likely link

Abstract

To examine the relationship between family history of coronary heart disease (CHD), hypertension, and diabetes with risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and the possible interaction between these family histories and metabolic components for NAFLD. The 202 health office workers with no evidence of excessive alcohol drinking or hepatitis B or C virus infection were enrolled in the present study performed from March to June 2004. NAFLD was identified in 68 subjects by abdominal ultrasound. Logistic regression analysis showed that the presence of CHD family history increased the risk of NAFLD by 2.25-fold, 95% CI 1.1-4.1 (P = 0.014), while family history of diabetes or hypertension did not increase the risk. In combination with the presence of a family history of CHD, the effect on odds ratios (ORs) was increased for several metabolic features in predicting the incidence of NAFLD, including increased waist circumference, hypertriglyceridemia, hypertension and the occurrence of the metabolic syndrome. In a logistic regression model, the CHD family history enhances the summary predictive power of baseline clinical variables for NAFLD, but when the occurrence of increased waist circumference and hypertriglyceridemia are considered, the predictive value of a family history of CHD is no longer significant. This study has shown that the CHD family history may be clinically useful and associated with the occurrence of NAFLD, and that the likely link is through central obesity and the metabolic syndrome.