Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is associated with atherosclerosis in middle-aged and elderly Chinese

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

A total of 8632 participants aged ≥ 40 years from Jiading 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 30.3% in men and 29.9% in women, respectively. Subjects with NAFLD had remarkably higher CIMT and ba-PWV compared with those without NAFLD (0.594 ± 0.105 mm versus 0.578±0.109 mm, P<0.0001; 1665 ± 424 cm/s versus 1558 ± 430 cm/s, P<0.0001). Subjects with both NAFLD and metabolic syndrome had significantly higher CIMT and ba-PWV compared with those with neither or either of these 2 diseases after adjustment for age and sex (all P<0.05). Logistic regressions also revealed that NAFLD conferred 35% and 30% increased odds ratios of elevated CIMT and ba-PWV, independent of conventional risk factors and the presence of metabolic syndrome.

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