Non‐obese fatty liver disease is associated with lacunar infarct

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Lacunar infarct, a small subcortical ischaemic lesion, is a known risk factor for future cognitive impairment, dementia and stroke. We evaluated the relationship between fatty liver disease (FLD) and lacunar infarct in a healthy general population. METHODS: Subjects who underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and abdominal ultrasonography (US) during health check-ups from 2007 to 2009 were included. FLD was diagnosed by US. Subjects with a history of cerebrovascular disease, radiological findings consistent with cerebrovascular stenosis or cerebral small vessel disease were excluded. RESULTS: ) and FLD for lacunar infarct (P for interaction = .024). Subgroup analysis revealed that non-obese FLD was more common in the subjects with lacunar infarct than those without (51.7% vs 23.5%, P = .001). However, there was no significant difference in the obese FLD prevalence between these 2 groups. In multivariate models adjusted by age, sex, smoking, alcohol, hypertension and diabetes, FLD was significantly associated with lacunar infarct (odds ratio [OR] 1.97; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.08-3.58; P = .027). Non-obese FLD was associated with lacunar infarct (OR 3.58; 95% CI 1.63-7.89; P = .002); however, this association remained insignificant in obese FLD. Instead, ageing and hypertension were independent risk factors for lacunar infarct in the obese population. CONCLUSIONS: FLD is significantly associated with lacunar infarct, independent of traditional risk factors. This association was prominent in the non-obese population.