Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is associated with coronary artery disease in Koreans

AIM: To investigate whether nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affects coronary artery disease (CAD) and identify candidate mediators. METHODS: Patients who underwent coronary angiography were consecutively recruited. The patients were classified into four groups by coronary artery stenosis: A, insignificant; B, one-vessel disease; C, two-vessel disease; and D, three-vessel disease. Abdominal ultrasonography was performed to determine the presence of a fatty liver and categorize by grade: 0, no evidence; 1, mild; 2, moderate; and 3, severe. We measured not only known CAD risk factors, but also serum insulin, HOMA-index, adiponectin, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels. RESULTS: Of the 134 patients who met the inclusion criteria, 82 (61.2%) had ultrasonographically diagnosed NAFLD. Among the 46 patients with CAD, 37 (80.4%) had evidence of a fatty liver. The two groups (A vs B-D) were significantly different in terms of age, total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein levels and fatty liver. Coronary artery stenosis was strongly associated with fatty liver in a grade-dependent manner (P = 0.025). In binary logistic regression, NAFLD was a significant independent predictor of CAD (P = 0.03, OR = 1.685; 95%CI: 1.051-2.702). Among the candidate mediators, the serum adiponectin level showed a trend toward lowering based on CAD progression (P = 0.071). CONCLUSION: NAFLD is an independent risk factor for CAD in a grade-dependent manner. Moreover, adiponectin might be related to the pathogenesis of NAFLD.