2016 Volume 4 Issue 1 Pages 21-27
Objective: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a condition in which fat accumulates in the liver, and it is considered the hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome (MetS). The diagnostic criteria for MetS in Japan require abdominal obesity (AO). Both NAFLD and AO are significant predictors of cardiovascular disease. The purpose of our study was to determine whether NAFLD or AO is more closely associated with arteriosclerosis based on the results of an analysis of carotid intima media thickness (IMT).
Methods: Between June 2011 and December 2013, 3,648 individuals undergoing a health check-up who had no history of liver disease underwent abdominal ultrasonography (US), and 752 subjects underwent carotid US. After excluding subjects with an alcohol consumption >20 g/day or a history of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia and/or hyperuricemia, 368 subjects (202 males and 166 females, aged 29 to 87 years) remained. Using simple and multivariate analyses, the parameters associated with NAFLD, AO, and an increased maximum IMT were examined. Furthermore, we analyzed differences between subjects with NAFLD but not AO and those with AO but not NAFLD.
Results: Although an increased maximum IMT was independently associated with NAFLD, there was no association between an increased maximum IMT and AO. The group with NAFLD but not AO had a significantly higher proportion of subjects with an increased maximum IMT than the group with AO but not NAFLD, after adjusting for gender and age.
Conclusion: Our analysis suggests that NAFLD is more strongly related to the progression of arteriosclerosis than is AO.
