Hepatic steatosis is associated with carotid atherosclerosis: A control case study

Abstract

The prognosis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or metabolic steatopathy is linked both to its liver complications but also to its link with cardiovascular disease. The presence of carotid atheroma plaque is considered an excellent marker of cardiovascular risk. The objective of our work was to study its relationship with NAFLD. This is a case-control study comparing non-diabetic patients between the ages of 30 and 70 years NAFLD with a control group (no-NAFLD). A clinical and biological assessment was carried out for all participants. Ultrasound was used for the diagnosis of fatty liver disease, and for the search for carotid atheroma plaque with media intima thickness measurement (EIM). The statistical analyses were carried out using SPSS21.0. In total, 213 NAFLDs were compared to 213 controls matched by age and gender. Average age 48.1 ± 10.1 years (100 men/113 women). The prevalence of carotid atherosclerotic plaque (CAP) was significantly higher in NAFLDs than controls [31.92% ( n -68) vs. 7.05% ( n -15), P < 0.001]. In multivariate analysis, the presence of CAP (OR: 8.6, 95% CI [3.6–20.5], P < 0.001), high EIM (OR: 2.8, 95% CI [1.4–5.4], P = 0.002), CRP ≥ 6 mg/L (OR: 14.7, 95% CI [5.9–36.9], P < 0.001), abdominal obesity (OR: 3.8, 95% CI [1.4–9.7], P = 0.05), elevated alanine aminotransferase (OR: 4.0, 95% CI [1.6–9.8], P = 0.002), overall obesity (OR: 2.0.95% CI [1.0–3.8], P = 0.002), overall obesity (OR: 2.0, 95% CI [1.0–3.8], P = 0.002), dyslipidemia (OR: 2.0, 95% CI [1.0–3.8], P = 0.02), and elevated GGT (OR: 2.8, 95% [1.1–7.1]) were independently associated with NAFLD. The results of our study show that NAFLD is significantly associated with the presence of carotid atherosclerotic plaque independently of other risk factors.