Fatty liver adds information to heart and liver risk forecasts
Having both fatty liver and advanced heart–kidney–metabolic disease was linked to hazard ratios of 2.33 for cardiovascular events and 5.09 for liver events, compared with neither.
Limit: Fatty liver status was determined from an index score rather than direct liver measurement
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
An observational cohort study followed 313,970 UK Biobank participants with stages 0–3 of cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome, a spectrum of problems involving the heart, blood vessels, kidneys and the body's use of energy. Researchers defined nonalcoholic fatty liver disease using an index score, excluding other liver diseases and excessive alcohol intake.
Over a median 15.70 years, researchers recorded 32,110 major cardiovascular events and 1,599 major liver events. Participants with fatty liver and stage 3 syndrome had the highest relative hazards, which compare event rates over time, versus those without fatty liver in stages 0–2. Combining liver status and syndrome stage distinguished people who experienced events from those who did not better than either factor alone throughout follow-up. Fatty liver's cardiovascular association was stronger in early stages but was not statistically clear in stage 3.
Why it matters
Long-term cardiovascular and liver risks bear on health as people age. This work addresses whether assessing these risks across organs could help identify people at risk earlier.
Caveats
The observational design cannot establish cause and effect, and fatty liver status came from an index score. This conference abstract covered only participants in syndrome stages 0–3.
