A clinical study of the correlation between metabolic-associated fatty liver disease and coronary plaque pattern

Abstract

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and has been correlated with coronary atherosclerosis (CAS). Since NAFLD was renamed metabolic-associated fatty liver disease(MAFLD) in 2020, no studies have evaluated the correlation between MAFLD and CAS. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between MAFLD and CAS. A total of 1330 patients underwent continuous coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) and abdominal ultrasound as part of a routine physical examination. Ultrasonography was used to assess fatty liver, and CCTA was used to assess coronary artery plaques, degree of stenosis, and diseased blood vessels. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed with plaque type and degree of stenosis as dependent variables and MAFLD and traditional cardiovascular risk factors as independent variables to analyze the correlation between MAFLD and CAS. Among the 1164 patients, 680 (58.4%) were diagnosed with MAFLD through a combination of ultrasound and auxiliary examinations. Compared with the non-MAFLD group, the MAFLD group had more cardiovascular risk factors,and the MAFLD group had more likely to have coronary atherosclerosis, coronary stenosis and multiple coronary artery stenosis.In the univariate logistic regression, MAFLD was significantly correlated with overall plaque, calcified plaques, noncalcified plaques, mixed plaques,and significant stenosis in the coronary arteries.(p < 0.05). After adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors , MAFLD was correlated with noncalcified plaques (1.67; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.15-2.43; p = 0.007) and mixed plaques (1.54; 95% CI 1.10-2.16; p = 0.011). In this study, MAFLD group had more cardiovascular risk factors, MAFLD was correlated with coronary atherosclerosis,and significant stenosis.Further study found independent associations between MAFLD and noncalcified plaques and mixed plaques, which suggest a clinically relevant link between MAFLD and coronary atherosclerosis.