Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University, Rize, Turkey.
Int J Cardiovasc Imaging. 2024 Sep;40(9):1979-1986. doi: 10.1007/s10554-024-03193-w. Epub 2024 Jul 16.
Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is a widespread liver disorder caused by excess fat accumulation in the liver with no significant alcohol consumption. This condition has been linked to the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and atherosclerosis. Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and carotid plaques, which are established markers of subclinical atherosclerosis, were used to assess CVD risk. However, few studies have explored the correlation between NAFLD and subclinical atherosclerosis, especially in young and middle-aged men. A study on 200 male patients aged 18-55 years aimed to investigate the association between NAFLD fibrosis score (NFS) and CIMT, as well as carotid plaque presence.
The study, conducted between July 2023 and January 2024, included CIMT measurements and plaque assessments performed using B-mode ultrasound. Participants were divided into two groups based on CIMT values and plaque presence, and NFS was analyzed for its association with CIMT and plaque.
Participants with higher CIMT values had a significantly higher NFS (-2.9 ± 1.13 vs. -1.9 ± 1.4, P < 0.001) than those with lower CIMT values. Similarly, participants with carotid plaque also exhibited a higher NFS (-2.5 ± 1.3 vs. -1.7 ± 1.4, P = 0.002). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that NFS was a strong predictor of both increased CIMT (odds ratio [OR]: 1.564%95 CI 1.035-2.363; P = 0.034) and carotid plaque presence (OR: 1.605%95 CI 1.118-2.290; P = 0.010).
These results emphasize the potential role of NFS as a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis in young and middle-aged men.
非酒精性脂肪性肝病（NAFLD）是一种广泛存在的肝脏疾病，其特征是肝脏内脂肪堆积过多，而无明显的酒精摄入。这种情况与心血管疾病（CVD）和动脉粥样硬化的发展有关。颈动脉内膜中层厚度（CIMT）和颈动脉斑块是动脉粥样硬化亚临床的既定标志物，用于评估 CVD 风险。然而，很少有研究探讨 NAFLD 与亚临床动脉粥样硬化之间的相关性，尤其是在年轻和中年男性中。一项针对 200 名年龄在 18-55 岁的男性患者的研究旨在探讨 NAFLD 纤维化评分（NFS）与 CIMT 以及颈动脉斑块存在之间的关系。
该研究于 2023 年 7 月至 2024 年 1 月进行，包括使用 B 型超声进行 CIMT 测量和斑块评估。根据 CIMT 值和斑块的存在，将参与者分为两组，并分析 NFS 与 CIMT 和斑块之间的关系。
CIMT 值较高的参与者的 NFS 显著较高（-2.9±1.13 与-1.9±1.4，P<0.001），而 CIMT 值较低的参与者的 NFS 较低。同样，颈动脉斑块患者的 NFS 也较高（-2.5±1.3 与-1.7±1.4，P=0.002）。多变量逻辑回归分析表明，NFS 是 CIMT 增加（比值比 [OR]：1.564%95%置信区间 [CI]：1.035-2.363；P=0.034）和颈动脉斑块存在（OR：1.605%95%CI：1.118-2.290；P=0.010）的强有力预测因素。
这些结果强调了 NFS 作为年轻和中年男性亚临床动脉粥样硬化标志物的潜在作用。
