Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and risk of incident young-onset hypertension: Effect modification by sex

Abstract

Background and aimsAlthough nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and hypertension are increasingly common among young adults, it is uncertain if NAFLD affects incidence of young-onset hypertension, and if the association is modified by sex. We investigated potential effect modification by sex on the association between NAFLD and incident hypertension in young adults (<40 years). Method and resultsThis cohort study comprised 85,789 women and 67,553 men aged <40 years without hypertension at baseline. Hepatic steatosis was assessed by liver ultrasound and classified as mild or moderate/severe. Hypertension was defined as blood pressure (BP) ≥130/80 mmHg; self-reported history of physician-diagnosed hypertension; or current use of BP-lowering medications. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs; 95% confidence intervals [CIs]) for incident hypertension by NAFLD status (median follow-up 4.5 years). A total of 25,891 participants developed incident hypertension (incidence rates per 103 person-years: 15.6 for women and 63.5 for men). Multivariable-adjusted HRs (95% CIs) for incident hypertension comparing no NAFLD (reference) with mild or moderate/severe NAFLD were 1.68 (1.56–1.80) and 1.83 (1.60–2.09) for women and 1.21 (1.17–1.25) and 1.23 (1.17–1.30) for men, respectively. Stronger associations were consistently observed between NAFLD and incident hypertension in women, regardless of obesity/central obesity (all p-values for interaction by sex <0.001). ConclusionsNAFLD is a potential risk factor for young-onset hypertension with a relatively greater impact in women and in those with more severe hepatic steatosis.