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Published on: March 24, 2023
Association between the cardiometabolic index and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: insights from a general
Jiawang Zou1, Hailan Xiong1, Huimin Zhang2
1Department of Cardiology, Jiujiang First People's Hospital, Jiujiang, 332000, China.
Insights
Higher cardiometabolic index (CMI) is linked to increased non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) risk in the general population. This association is particularly strong in younger individuals and women.
Area of Science:
- Metabolic Health
- Liver Disease Research
- Cardiovascular Risk Factors
Background:
- The cardiometabolic index (CMI) is recognized as an indicator for metabolic diseases, including diabetes and hypertension.
- Previous research has not extensively explored the association between CMI and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between the cardiometabolic index (CMI) and the risk of developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
- To examine CMI as a potential indicator for NAFLD risk in a general population cohort.
Main Methods:
- A study involving 14,251 participants was conducted, calculating CMI as the product of triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio and waist-to-height ratio.
- Linear regression analyzed baseline data correlations with CMI, while logistic regression assessed the CMI-NAFLD association.
- Subgroup analyses were performed to identify specific populations at higher risk.
Main Results:
- Higher CMI was independently associated with an increased risk of NAFLD, with each standard deviation (SD) increase in CMI raising NAFLD risk by 28%.
- The association between CMI and NAFLD risk was significantly more pronounced in younger individuals and women compared to older individuals and men.
- Specific interaction analyses revealed significant differences in CMI-related NAFLD risk across age groups and genders.
Conclusions:
- The study concludes that elevated CMI is an independent predictor of NAFLD risk in the general population.
- Findings highlight CMI's utility in identifying individuals susceptible to NAFLD, particularly within younger and female demographics.
Background:
Emerging evidence suggests that cardiometabolic index (CMI) is closely related to diabetes, hypertension, stroke, cardiovascular disease, and kidney disease, which implies that CMI has the value as an indicator of metabolic diseases. However, data on the relationships between CMI and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) risks have not been reported. This study is designed to examine the association between CMI and NAFLD in the general population.
Methods:
The current study included 14,251 subjects whose CMI was the product of triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio and waist-to-height ratio. Linear regression was used to analyze the correlation between baseline information and CMI, logistic regression was used to study the relationship between CMI and NAFLD, and subgroup analysis was used to explore potential high-risk groups.
Results:
After adjusted for potential confounding factors, higher CMI was independently associated with NAFLD, in which every additional standard deviation (SD) of CMI increased the risk of NAFLD by 28% (OR 1.28 per SD increase, 95% CI 1.19-1.37, P for trend < 0.0001). There were also significant differences in CMI-related NAFLD risk among different ages and genders, in which the CMI-related NAFLD risk in young people was significantly higher than that in other age groups (OR = 2.63 per SD increase for young people, OR = 1.38 per SD increase for young and middle-aged people, OR = 1.18 per SD increase for middle-aged and elderly people; OR = 1.14 per SD increase for elderly people, P for interaction = 0.0010), and the CMI-related NAFLD risk in women was significantly higher than that in men (OR = 1.58 per SD increase for women, OR = 1.26 per SD increase for men, P for interaction = 0.0045).
Conclusions:
Current studies have found that after excluding potential confounding factors, higher CMI in the general population is independently associated with NAFLD risk.
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