Carotid Artery Intima-media Thickness in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Abstract Purpose To evaluate, in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease with no or mild alterations of liver function tests, carotid artery intima-media thickness and the presence of plaques and to define determinants of vascular damage. Methods A paired-sample case-control study: 125 patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and 250 controls, without a prior diagnosis of diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease, matched for sex, age, and body mass index. B-mode ultrasound was used for evaluation of carotid intima-media thickness and presence of small plaques. Results A significant difference in mean values of intima-media thickness (0.89 ± 0.26 and 0.64 ± 0.14 mm, P = .0001) and prevalence of plaques (26 [21%] and 15 [6%], P