Clin Mol Hepatol.  2014 Jun;20(2):154-161. 10.3350/cmh.2014.20.2.154.

Alcoholic fatty liver disease elevates estimated coronary heart disease risk to levels comparable with those of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in the Korean population: a cross-sectional study

Affiliations
  • 1Digestive Disease Center, Department of Internal Medicine, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. 93haan@hanmail.net

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS
A close relationship has been established between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and an elevated risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), but little is known about the association between alcoholic fatty liver disease (AFLD) and CHD risk. The aim of this study was to determine whether AFLD is associated with elevated CHD risk.
METHODS
We retrospectively enrolled 10,710 subjects out of 11,469 individuals who visited the Konkuk University Health Care Center for a routine health checkup in 2010. AFLD was diagnosed made when the usual amount of alcohol consumption exceeded 210 g/week in males and 140 g/week in females for the previous 2 years and when hepatic steatosis was detected by liver ultrasonography. The 10-year risk for CHD was estimated using the Framingham Risk Score.
RESULTS
Hepatic steatosis was diagnosed in 4,142 of the 10,710 individuals (38.7%); the remainder (i.e., n=6,568) became the control group. The 4,142 individuals with hepatic steatosis were divided into two groups: NAFLD (n=2,953) and AFLD (n=1,189). The risk of CHD was higher in AFLD (6.72+/-0.12) than in the control group (5.50+/-0.04, P<0.001), and comparable to that in NAFLD (7.32+/-0.07, P=0.02).
CONCLUSIONS
Individuals with AFLD have an elevated 10-year risk of CHD that is comparable to those with NAFLD. Therefore, AFLD should be considered a significant risk for future CHD, and preventive measures should be considered earlier.

Keyword

Framingham risk score; Alcoholic fatty liver; Coronary heart disease risk

MeSH Terms

Adult
Age Factors
Alcohol Drinking
Body Mass Index
Coronary Disease/*diagnosis/etiology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Fatty Liver, Alcoholic/complications/*diagnosis/ultrasonography
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/complications/*diagnosis/*epidemiology/ultrasonography
Republic of Korea/epidemiology
Retrospective Studies
Risk Factors
Sex Factors
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