AI liver fat measure linked to overlooked cardiovascular risk
People flagged only by AI had cardiovascular-event hazard ratios of 1.21–1.69 versus those normal on both measures; ratios above one indicate higher risk.
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Editor of record: Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
CT scans from 43,340 people screened for calcium in the heart’s arteries were analyzed with an AI liver-fat tool in a prospective observational registry study. The tool estimated fat in the portion of liver visible on the scans. Median follow-up was 4.03 years.
People with normal liver density but an AI-estimated liver fat fraction above 5% had higher risk of major cardiovascular events than those normal on both measures. These events included heart attacks, strokes, cardiovascular deaths and procedures to restore blood flow. The association held across three conventional liver-density cutoffs. At one cutoff, 29.2% of people classified as normal had an AI-estimated liver fat fraction above 5%. This corresponded to 8.5 additional major cardiovascular events per 1,000 people screened with normal liver density.
Why it matters
Cardiovascular disease is an age-related health concern. The authors suggest that liver-fat estimates could add information to routine cardiovascular risk assessment using scans already collected for screening.
Caveats
The observational registry analysis assessed links with later cardiovascular events, not whether using the AI measure to guide care reduced those events. Other cardiovascular risk factors could have contributed to the higher event risk among people flagged by AI.
The paper
Emory Univ
AHA Scientific Sessions 2026 Abstract, Nov 2, 2026
Presented at AHA Scientific Sessions 2026, abstract 13365
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