title: Association between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and coronary artery disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Although some investigations have shown a relationship between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and cardiovascular diseases, there are few studies analyzing the relationship between NAFLD and coronary artery disease (CAD). The aim of this article was to review the relationship between NAFLD and CAD and the methods of diagnosis used to assess such relationship.
  
  
  METHODS
  A review was performed using search engines of indexed scientific material, including MEDLINE (by PubMed), Web of Science, IBECS, and LILACS, to identify articles published in Portuguese, English, and Spanish until August, 2012. The studies were eligible if they included the following data: place and year of publication, prevalence and methods used to diagnose NAFLD (ultrasound, computed tomography, nuclear magnetic resonance, or biopsy) and CAD (coronary angiography, or computed tomography), and the exclusion of patients due to alcohol consumption greater than 20g/day.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ten articles were selected, most of which were cross-sectional studies. The studies mostly observed the association between NAFLD and the presence and severity of CAD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The analysis of the review showed that evaluating the existence of NAFLD in patients with CAD from its subclinical form up to the symptomatic clinical form is important due to the higher risk of acute myocardial infarction and consequent increase of mortality.
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Program in Medicine and Health, Faculdade de Medicina da Bahia FMB, Universidade Federal da Bahia UFBA, Salvador, BA, Brazil.
authors.forename: Consuelo P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Vilar
authors.forename: Helma P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Cotrim
authors.forename: Gesira S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Florentino
authors.forename: Cibelle P V
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Barreto
authors.forename: André Vinicius A
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Florentino
authors.forename: Gerson
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bragagnoli
authors.forename: Paulo A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Schwingel
mesh_terms: D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000517:prevention & control; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease