Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease fibrosis score and preclinical vascular damage in morbidly obese patients

Abstract Background Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is strongly related with enhanced morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease. In obese patients with both NAFLD and features of the metabolic syndrome, the cardiovascular risk is further increased. Aim The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between severity of liver fibrosis evaluated by NAFLD fibrosis score (NAFLD-FS), Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR), other obesity-related markers and preclinical atherosclerosis in morbidly obese patients with previously diagnosed NAFLD. Methods Laboratory parameters, visceral fat area (VFA), flow-mediated dilatation (FMD), intima-media thickness (IMT), HOMA-IR and NAFLD-FS were determined in 196 morbidly obese patients. Results Patients with higher NAFLD-FS or HOMA-IR show higher left max-IMT and lower FMD ( p < 0.001). VFA and NAFLD-FS, but not HOMA-IR, were independent predictors of reduced FMD (respectively β −0.268, p = 0.001 and β −0.165, p = 0.039, p of the model < 0.001) and increased left max-IMT (respectively β 0.165, p = 0.031 and β 0.301, p < 0.001, p of the model < 0.001). Conclusions In morbidly obese patients, NAFLD-FS correlates with markers of early vascular damage. NAFLD-FS, easier to obtain than VFA, seems to be a better score than HOMA-IR to categorize such subjects who are potentially at risk of future cardiovascular events.