Association of Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Metabolic Syndrome with Non-alcoholic and Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Background: This study aimed to evaluate differences between the incidence of cardiovascular risk factors and metabolic syndrome in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and alcoholic fatty liver disease (AFLD) Methods: We compared the incidence of cardiovascular risk factors and metabolic syndrome between three groups of subjects (n = 913): healthy, NAFLD, and AFLD groups. The healthy group had no liver disease. Drinking quantity for diagnosis was based on a previously accepted standard. Both the NAFLD and AFLD groups comprised patients with fatty liver disease diagnosed using computed tomography (CT). Metabolic syndrome risk was compared between the NAFLD and AFLD groups. Results: No significant differences in several cardiovascular risk factors were observed between the NAFLD and AFLD groups. Upon analyzing the metabolic syndrome status in each group after making appropriate adjustments, the odds ratios (OR) in the NAFLD (OR = 2.397, P = 0.002) and AFLD groups (OR = 4.445, P = 0.001) were found to be significantly higher than that in the healthy group; the incidence rate of metabolic syndrome was similar in the NAFLD and AFLD groups. Conclusion: Both the NAFLD and AFLD groups had more cardiovascular risk factors and higher metabolic syndrome risk than the healthy group. Thus, the prevention of fatty liver disease, regardless of the specific type, should involve the identification of cardiovascular and metabolic syndrome risk factors. If abdominal CT reveals a fatty liver, whether NAFLD or AFLD, the risk of cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome should be assessed.