title: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and the renin-angiotensin system blockers in the patients with chronic kidney disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent data suggest that the renin-angiotensin-aldosteron system (RAAS) may be of importance in the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We were interested to investigate whether the therapy with RAAS blockers in patients with different stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) has any effect on steatosis and fibrosis grade; NAFLD documented by transient elastography (TE) (Fibroscan(®)-CAP).
  
  
  METHODS
  Of 191 patients with various stages of CKD there were 61 patients with CKD grade III and IV, 62 patients with end-stage renal disease treated with chronic hemodialysis and 68 renal transplant recipients. Liver stiffness was selected as the parameter to quantify liver fibrosis. Furthermore, the Controlled Attenuation Parameter (CAP) was used to detect and quantify liver steatosis with the help of TE.
  
  
  RESULTS
  CKD patients (p = 0.005) and CKD-NAFLD patients (p = 0.0005) with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-I) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) had statistically significant lower degree of liver stiffness in comparison to those without these medications (p = 0.005). Also, we were interested to explore is there any difference in fibrosis and steatosis grade due to use of ACE-I or ARBs. We did not find statistically significant differences between those two subgroups of patients with respect to liver steatosis/fibrosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Based on our results, RAAS blockers could be an attractive option for the management of NAFLD. We believe that TE provides the opportunity of noninvasive screening of NAFLD in CKD patients. In further prospective analysis, we believe that by using TE as noninvasive method we could investigate are ACE-I/ARBs really effective medications for the treatment of NAFLD in CKD patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Dialysis and Kidney Transplantation, University Hospital Center Rijeka, Tome Strižića 3, 51000, Rijeka, Croatia.
authors.forename: Lidija
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Orlic
authors.forename: Ivana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mikolasevic
authors.forename: Vesna
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lukenda
authors.forename: Kata
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Anic
authors.forename: Ita
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Jelic
authors.forename: Sanjin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Racki
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D057911:Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D057911:Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors