Research Article Details

Article ID: A13742
PMID: 29779697
Source: Dig Liver Dis
Title: Usefulness of controlled attenuation parameter for detecting increased arterial stiffness in general population.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Liver fibroscan has recently been suggested as an alternative method to measure liver steatosis noninvasively. In this study, we evaluated usefulness of controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) for detecting increased arterial stiffness in general population. METHODS: A total of 515 asymptomatic patients without potential cause of liver disease who had liver fibroscan and cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) during their health check-up exams were included. A cut off of CAP &#8805;222&#8239;dB/m was used to define fatty liver and CAVI&#8239;&#8805;&#8239;8 for increased arterial stiffness. RESULTS: Both unadjusted and adjusted regression analyses showed significant association between fatty liver and increased arterial stiffness [unadjusted Odds ratio (OR) 1.896, 95% CI 1.305-2.754, p&#8239;=&#8239;.001 for CAP&#8239;&#8805;&#8239;222&#8239;dB/m alone]. With all traditional cardiovascular risk factors such as age, gender, body mass index, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia and smoking adjusted, CAP&#8239;&#8805;&#8239;222&#8239;dB/m still showed significant association with increased arterial stiffness (OR 2.309, 95% CI 1.419-3.756, p&#8239;=&#8239;.001). The correlation between CAP-defined fatty liver and arterial stiffness was especially strong in subjects without diabetes (OR 2.959, 95% CI 1.709-5.122, p&#8239;<&#8239;0.001). CONCLUSION: CAP&#8239;&#8805;&#8239;222&#8239;dB/m is independently associated with increased arterial stiffness. As increased arterial stiffness is a surrogate and prognosticator for cardiovascular disease, surveillance using liver fibroscan may help screen and further stratify risk of patients.
DOI: 10.1016/j.dld.2018.04.027