title: RBBB is associated with an increased risk of NAFLD in young healthy individuals.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The pathogenesis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease has not been fully elucidated. The most widely supported theory implicates insulin resistance as the key mechanism leading to hepatic steatosis, and perhaps also to steatohepatitis. Also one of causes of NAFLD is central congestion and hepatic injury. RBBB can associated with right ventricular dissynchrony that lead to minimal congestion in liver. So the aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that RBBB as diagnosed by ECG predicts subsequent NAFLD as diagnosed by ultrasonography (the most widely used imaging test for diagnosing hepatic steatosis).
  
  
  METHODS
  Between March 2012 and March 2013, 2200 male subjects underwent electrocardiography (ECG) at our Medical Check-up Center for general young health screening. Of them, 220 subjects had RBBB. All analyses were performed using statistical package SPSS 15.0 and statistical significance was assessed at the two-tailed 0.05 threshold.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 2200 subjects evaluated, 220 had RBBB. The mean age, BMI, triglycerides, hemoglobin, and aspartate aminotransferase level, the mean HDL cholesterol, alanine aminotransferase, platelet count, %VC, and FEV1/FVC were not different between two groups. The group with RBBB had 66 subjects with NAFLD (30%). The group without RBBB had 44 subjects with NAFLD (2.2%). There were significant differences between the two groups(p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  RBBB is associated with an increased risk of NAFLD in young healthy individuals.
authors.affiliation: Diyarbakir Military Hospital, Yenişehir, Diyarbakir, Turkey. Electronic address: dr.iscen@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Sinan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: İşcen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002037:Bundle-Branch Block / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD); Right bundle branch block (RBBB); Right ventricular dissynchrony