Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and cardiovascular pathology: a vicious circle of common pathogenesis

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common causes of chronic liver diseases. According to modern concepts, a unique feature of this pathology is that patients with NAFLD have a significantly increased risk of developing not only liver diseases, but also extrahepatic pathologies, mainly cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Various studies have clearly demonstrated the predictive role of NAFLD in the development of arterial hypertension, coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, cardiac arrhythmias, and cardiovascular mortality. The commonality of pathogenetic mechanisms underlying NAFLD and CVD is discussed, primarily such as: dyslipidemia, hypertriglyceridemia, insulin resistance, lipotoxicity and chronic sterile inflammation. This review article analyzes the relationship between NAFLD and CVDs, describes the pathophysiological mechanisms of the bidirectional influence of these pathologies.