The Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Fibrosis Score Is Related to Epicardial Fat Thickness and Complexity of Coronary Artery Disease

Abstract

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a hepatic manifestation of the metabolic syndrome and is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD). The NAFLD Fibrosis Score (NFS) is an index used for the detection of liver fibrosis. We investigated the relationship between NFS and complexity of coronary artery disease (CAD). In this cross-sectional study, 109 patients with CAD and 50 patients without CAD were enrolled. Demographic data, laboratory parameters, epicardial fat thickness (EFT), NFS, and Synergy between percutaneous coronary intervention with Taxus and cardiac surgery (SYNTAX) score were recorded. Waist circumference, fasting glucose, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), EFT, and NFS were significantly higher in the CAD group (P < .05). High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and ejection fraction were significantly lower in the CAD group (P < .05). The SYNTAX score was positively correlated with fasting glucose, LDL-C, EFT, and NFS and negatively correlated with HDL-C (P < .05). The NFS was positively correlated with EFT (P = .019). Multivariate linear regression analysis revealed that NFS (P = .012), EFT (P < .001), and LDL-C (P = .001) were independently associated with the SYNTAX score. In conclusion, NFS, as a marker of NAFLD, could identify patients at higher risk of CVD.