title: Evaluation of carotid intima-media thickness and flow-mediated dilatation in middle-aged patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has a high prevalence in the general population and is the most common liver disease in Western countries. It is a feature of metabolic syndrome and is characterized by excessive accumulation of fat in the liver cells.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined 84 consecutive middle-aged (under 45 years) patients with NAFLD and 65 control subjects matched for age, gender, and body mass index to determine carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) in the brachial artery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a statistically significant difference between CIMT and percentage increase in FMD in the patient group (P = 0.002; r = 0.33) when compared with the control group (P = 0.97; r = 0.005). The mean ± standard deviation CMIT was 0.65 ± 0.09 mm in patients and 0.55 ± 0.07 mm in controls. This difference was statistically significant (P = 0.001). Mean FMD in patients was 6.4% and 15.7% in controls. This difference was statistically significant (P = 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study shows that pure NAFLD without metabolic syndrome in middle-aged subjects is strongly associated with morphological (CIMT) and physiological (FMD) changes. These findings may have an important role in increasing cardiovascular risk in these patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, West-Azerbaijan, Iran.
authors.forename: Afshin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mohammadi
authors.forename: Homayoon Habibpour
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Sedani
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ghasemi-Rad
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D004108:Dilatation, Pathologic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease