title: [Relation of non-alcoholic hepatic steatosis to early carotid atherosclerosis in diet-controlled impaired glucose tolerance subjects].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare carotid artery intima-media thickness values, as a reliable marker of early atherosclerosis, in individuals with and without nonalcoholic hepatic steatosis, and to evaluate whether such differences are mediate by metabolic syndrome variables.
  
  
  METHODS
  Carotid intima-media thickness (by ultrasonography), hepatic steatosis (by ultrasonography), insulin resistance (by Homeostasis Model Assessment-HOMA), steatohepatitis (by histologic specimen) were measured in 54 non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, and 54 IGT, compared with 54 healthy subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Subjects with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis had markedly greater carotid intima-media thickness measurements (1.38±0.12 vs 1.12±0.10 mm; p<0.001) than controls. The marked differences in carotid intima-media thickness that were observed between the groups were little affected by adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, waist/hip ratio, diabetes duration, blood pressure, lipids.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that in IGT non smoking subjects, the significant increase of carotid intima-media thickness in presence of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis cannot be mediated by HOMA-estimated insulin resistance; thus the NAFDL and NASH can be independent features of metabolic syndrome and other unknown factors can be responsible to progression of steatosis to NAFLD and NASH.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina Interna e Patologia Sistemica, Università di Catania, Italia.
authors.forename: A B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Pagano
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vecchio
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Giangreco
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Neri
mesh_terms: D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D018149:Glucose Intolerance; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease