Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is overtaking alcohol-dependent liver disease. Until a few decades ago, excessive consumption of this substance was the first reason for the accumulation of fat in the liver, currently it is general poor diet The reason for this accumulation of fat.
However, fatty liver not only specifically affects this organ, but also helps, produces and above all, worsening other diseasesAs is the case with heart failure, according to a new study published in the journal Intestine,
Currently, non-alcoholic fatty liver is estimated to affect Up to 30% of adults worldwide And, given that poor nutrition is becoming more and more common, it is expected that this prevalence global growth And over the next ten years, in line with the current high levels of overweight and obesity.
In previous studies, the association with NAFLD development of heart failure pathological condition in which the heart is unable to pump enough blood to the rest of the body.
However, the specific risk associated with fatty liver and heart failure was not yet clear, nor was it clear whether the severity of liver disease would increase the cardiovascular risk.
a high percentage
Thus, those who are responsible for the new study Combined 11 test results of an observational nature made internationally till March 2022. A possible link between NAFLD and heart failure was sought among more than 11 million adults Middle aged, from Sweden, Finland, the United Kingdom, the United States, and South Korea. Half of these participants were women, the mean age was 55 years, and their average BMI was 26.
According to the data obtained, approximately 1 4 of the participants (2.9 million in total) suffered from NAFLD. Similarly, heart failure was diagnosed in 97,716 participants during the 10-year follow-up period.
After statistical analysis combining all 11 studies, it was concluded that the presence of NAFLD was associated with a . was associated with 50% increased risk to develop heart failure in the next 10 years (which was the total follow-up period of the study).
This risk relationship was independent of other variables such as age, gender, normal body fat, diabetes, hypertension, ethnic origin, and other common cardiovascular risk factors.
[La enfermedad silenciosa que está detrás de la mayoría de los casos de cáncer hepático]
In addition, to avoid problems associated with study design and methods, the investigators combined data from selected studies by country, length of the follow-up period, clinical method of heart failure, and diagnostic method of NAFLD. couple. The result remained the same,
Insulin and inflammatory substances
It was also examined whether the risk increased with the severity of the liver disease. This was especially the case if you were a victim of hepatic fibrosis hey extensive liver lesion where the risk skyrocketed up to 76%, however, it should be noted that this finding was based on data from only 2 out of 11 studies.
At this time, it is unclear how NAFLD increases the risk of cardiovascular complications. Do you know this liver disease? worsens insulin resistance promotes the formation of fatty plaques and releases a set of inflammatory substances At the blood level, as a result, the cardiovascular risk would be increased.
along with modern diabetes drugs those that lower blood sugar levels are beginning to show that they are capable of reducing the risk of hospitalization due to heart failure.
The study is not without limitations, as it tends to be a combination of observational studies and no clinical trials, which prevents the detection of a causal relationship. However, the researchers concluded that strict control would be appropriate given its possible association with heart health in patients diagnosed with fatty liver.
