title: Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Is Associated with the Presence and Morphology of Subclinical Coronary Atherosclerosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In this study, we aimed to evaluate whether nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) was associated with the presence and morphology of coronary atherosclerotic plaques shown by multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) in asymptomatic subjects without a history of cardiovascular disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively enrolled 772 consecutive South Korean individuals who had undergone both dualsource 64-slice MDCT coronary angiography and hepatic ultrasonography during general routine health evaluations. The MDCT studies were assessed for the presence, morphology (calcified, mixed, and non-calcified), and severity of coronary plaques.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Coronary atherosclerotic plaques were detected in 316 subjects (40.9%) by MDCT, and NAFLD was found in 346 subjects (44.8%) by hepatic ultrasonography. Subjects with NAFLD had higher prevalences of all types of atherosclerotic plaque and non-calcified, mixed, and calcified plaques than the subjects without NAFLD. However, the prevalence of significant stenosis did not differ between groups. After adjusting for age, smoking status, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome, NAFLD remained a significant predictor for all types of coronary atherosclerotic plaque [odds ratio (OR): 1.48; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.05-2.08; p=0.025] in binary logistic analysis, as well as for calcified plaques (OR: 1.70; 95% CI: 1.07-2.70; p=0.025) in multinomial regression analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study demonstrated that NAFLD was significantly associated with the presence and the calcified morphology of coronary atherosclerotic plaques detected by MDCT. Further prospective clinical studies are needed to clarify the exact physiopathologic role of NAFLD in coronary atherosclerosis.
authors.affiliation: Emergency Care Center, Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, Cheonan, Korea.
authors.forename: Min Kyoung
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Gyeongsang National University Hospital, Jinju, Korea.
authors.forename: Byeong Hun
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Emergency Care Center, Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, Cheonan, Korea. peddrjhkim@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Jong Ho
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000208:ethnology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D061330:Multidetector Computed Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012044:Regression Analysis; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014463:Ultrasonography
keywords: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; metabolic syndrome; multidetector computed tomography; subclinical coronary atherosclerosis