Association of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease with subclinical myocardial remodeling and dysfunction: A population-based study.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and heart failure (HF) are obesity-related conditions with high cardiovascular mortality. Whether NAFLD is independently associated with subclinical myocardial remodeling or dysfunction among the general population is unknown. We performed a cross-sectional analysis of 2,713 participants from the multicenter, community-based Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study who underwent concurrent computed tomography (CT) quantification of liver fat and comprehensive echocardiography with myocardial strain measured by speckle tracking during the Year-25 examination (age, 43-55 years; 58.8% female and 48.0% black). NAFLD was defined as liver attenuation ≤40 Hounsfield units after excluding other causes of liver fat. Subclinical left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction was defined using values of absolute peak global longitudinal strain (GLS). Diastolic dysfunction was defined using Doppler and tissue Doppler imaging markers. Prevalence of NAFLD was 10.0%. Participants with NAFLD had lower early diastolic relaxation (e') velocity (10.8 ± 2.6 vs. 11.9 ± 2.8 cm/s), higher LV filling pressure (E/e' ratio: 7.7 ± 2.6 vs. 7.0 ± 2.3), and worse absolute GLS (14.2 ± 2.4% vs. 15.2 ± 2.4%) than non-NAFLD (P < 0.0001 for all). When adjusted for HF risk factors or body mass index, NAFLD remained associated with subclinical myocardial remodeling and dysfunction (P < 0.01). The association of NAFLD with e' velocity (β = -0.36 [standard error = 0.15] cm/s; P = 0.02), E/e' ratio (β = 0.35 [0.16]; P = 0.03), and GLS (β = -0.42 [0.18]%; P = 0.02) was attenuated after controlling for visceral adipose tissue. Effect modification by race and sex was not observed.


CONCLUSIONS
NAFLD is independently associated with subclinical myocardial remodeling and dysfunction and provides further insight into a possible link between NAFLD and HF.
Departments of Preventive Medicine and Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL.|Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL.
Lisa B
LB
VanWagner
Departments of Preventive Medicine and Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL.|Division of Cardiology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL.
Jane E
JE
Wilcox
Departments of Preventive Medicine and Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL.
Laura A
LA
Colangelo
Departments of Preventive Medicine and Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL.|Division of Cardiology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL.
Donald M
DM
Lloyd-Jones
Departments of Radiology, Cardiovascular Medicine and Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN.
J Jeffrey
JJ
Carr
Departments of Medicine and Radiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.
Joao A
JA
Lima
Department of Medicine, Division of Preventive Medicine, University of Alabama Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL.
Cora E
CE
Lewis
Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL.
Mary E
ME
Rinella
Division of Cardiology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL.
Sanjiv J
SJ
Shah
D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D016015:Logistic Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012016:Reference Values; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D020257:Ventricular Remodeling / Q000502:physiology*