The Association between Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Fibrosis Score and Serum Low Density Lipoprotein-Cholesterol Levels in Adults with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Background@#Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease fibrosis score (NFS) is a scoring system applied in clinical practice to predict advanced fibrosis in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Evidence shows that progression of steatohepatitis and liver fibrosis reduces the production of verylow- density lipoprotein. The aim of this study was to identify the association of NFS and serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels and in adults with NAFLD. @*Methods@#Data were gathered from 24,889 subjects who had visited a health promotion center. NFS was calculated to assess the severity of fibrosis in all the subjects. Serum LDL-C levels were measured using a direct method. @*Results@#Serum LDL-C levels tended to decrease with increasing NFS quartiles (P for trend<0.01). NFS was one of the major determinants of serum LDL-C level after adjusting for age, sex, lifestyle-related factors, and other covariates. The estimated mean serum LDL-C level was significantly lower in the highest quartile of NFS than in the lowest quartile of NFS. @*Conclusion@#NFS had a negative association with serum LDL-C levels in adults with NAFLD. Elevated LDL-C level is not only a risk factor of cardiovascular disease but also a predictive indicator of NAFLD severity.

The Association between Resting Heart Rate and Arterial Stiffness in Men

BACKGROUND@#Early detection of vascular change may improve prediction of subclinical stage of cardiovascular disease, allowing intervention to prevent overt vascular damage. High heart rate is known to increase cardiovascular morbidity and mortality rate in the general population and in individuals with cardiovascular disease. We aimed to investigate the association between resting heart rate (RHR) measured using electrocardiogram (ECG) and arterial stiffness measured using the cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) in men.@*METHODS@#Data were collected from 5,629 men aged between 20 and 78 years who visited a single-site health promotion center. RHR was measured in a supine posture after resting for 10 minutes using an ECG. Arterial stiffness was measured using the CAVI. The cutoff value for high CAVI was ≥9.0.@*RESULTS@#RHR was one of the major determinants of high CAVI after adjusting for age, waist circumference, mean arterial pressure, glycosylated hemoglobin level, triglyceride level, white blood cell count, and lifestyle factors. When RHR groups were defined according to the RHR quartiles, the odds ratio of group with RHR ≥70 bpm, for high CAVI was 3.62 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.21–5.91) after adjusting for age and lifestyle factors. This association was not changed after adjusting for all other covariates (odds ratio, 2.39; 95% CI, 1.36–4.19).@*CONCLUSIONS@#RHR measured using ECG is significantly associated with arterial stiffness in men not taking medications for hypertension, dyslipidemia, or diabetes. These findings suggest that RHR may be useful in assessing cardiovascular risk in men.

The Association between Resting Heart Rate and Arterial Stiffness in Men

BACKGROUND: Early detection of vascular change may improve prediction of subclinical stage of cardiovascular disease, allowing intervention to prevent overt vascular damage. High heart rate is known to increase cardiovascular morbidity and mortality rate in the general population and in individuals with cardiovascular disease. We aimed to investigate the association between resting heart rate (RHR) measured using electrocardiogram (ECG) and arterial stiffness measured using the cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) in men. METHODS: Data were collected from 5,629 men aged between 20 and 78 years who visited a single-site health promotion center. RHR was measured in a supine posture after resting for 10 minutes using an ECG. Arterial stiffness was measured using the CAVI. The cutoff value for high CAVI was ≥9.0. RESULTS: RHR was one of the major determinants of high CAVI after adjusting for age, waist circumference, mean arterial pressure, glycosylated hemoglobin level, triglyceride level, white blood cell count, and lifestyle factors. When RHR groups were defined according to the RHR quartiles, the odds ratio of group with RHR ≥70 bpm, for high CAVI was 3.62 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.21–5.91) after adjusting for age and lifestyle factors. This association was not changed after adjusting for all other covariates (odds ratio, 2.39; 95% CI, 1.36–4.19). CONCLUSIONS: RHR measured using ECG is significantly associated with arterial stiffness in men not taking medications for hypertension, dyslipidemia, or diabetes. These findings suggest that RHR may be useful in assessing cardiovascular risk in men.