Endocrine Abstracts

Objective: To evaluate the associations between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and atherosclerosis.

Methods and Results: A total of 8971 participants aged 40 years and older from Baoshan district, Shanghai were included in the present study. The presence of NAFLD was evaluated by ultrasonography. Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (ba-PWV) were measured in each participant. The prevalence of NAFLD was 30.0% in the total population, with that of 30.3% in men and 29.8% in women, respectively. Subjects with NAFLD had remarkably higher CIMT and ba-PWV as compared with those without NAFLD (0.594±0.105 mm vs. 0.578±0.109 mm, P<0.0001; 1665±425 cm/sec vs. 1558±430, P<0.0001). Subjects with both NAFLD and metabolic syndrome had significantly higher CIMT and ba-PWV as compared with those with neither of or either of these two diseases after adjustment for age and sex (P all <0.05). Logistic regressions also revealed that NAFLD conferred 29% and 20% increased odds ratios of elevated CIMT and ba-PWV independent of conventional risk factors and the presence of metabolic syndrome.

Conclusions: NAFLD was associated with elevated CIMT and ba-PWV independent of conventional CVD risk factors and metabolic syndrome. The effects of NAFLD and metabolic syndrome on atherosclerosis might not fully overlap.

Declaration of interest: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest that could be perceived as prejudicing the impartiality of the research project.

Funding: This research did not receive any specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sector