Association between vascular inflammation and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: Analysis by 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography
Institution:
1. Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea;2. Division of Radiology, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea;3. Department of Nuclear Medicine, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea;4. Department of Biostatistics, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea;1. Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA;2. Section of Endocrinology, Boston VA Healthcare System, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02130, USA;1. Department of Pathophysiology, Medical College of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, China;2. Department of Gastroenterology, Jimo People''s Hospital, Qingdao, Shandong, China;3. Department of Pharmacy, College of Chemical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, Shandong, China;4. Department of Otolaryngology, Qingdao Municipal Hospital (Group), Qingdao, Shandong, China;1. Age-Related and Brain Diseases Research Center, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea;2. School of Pharmacy, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Republic of Korea;3. College of Pharmacy, The Catholic University of Korea, Gyeonggi-do, 14662, Republic of Korea;4. Department of Biomedical Science, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea;5. Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea;6. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea;7. KHU-KIST Department of Converging Science and Technology, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea;1. Institute of Endocrinology, Obesity Management Center, Národní 8, 116 94, Prague 1, Czech Republic;2. Department of Pediatrics and Center for Research of Diabetes, Metabolism and Nutrition, Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, ?robárova 50, 100 34, Prague 10, Czech Republic;1. Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA;2. Department of Clinical Sciences, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA;3. Advanced Imaging Research Center and Departments of Internal Medicine and Radiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and VA North Texas Healthcare System, Dallas, TX, USA;4. Advanced Imaging Research Center and Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
Abstract:
BackgroundGrowing evidence suggests that non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with cardiovascular disease as well as metabolic syndrome. FDG-PET is a novel imaging technique that detects vascular inflammation, which may reflect rupture-prone vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques.MethodsVascular inflammation was measured as the maximum target-to-background ratio (maxTBR), along with various cardiometabolic risk factors in 51 subjects with NAFLD, and compared with 100 age- and gender-matched subjects without NAFLD. The liver attenuation index (LAI), which was measured using computed tomography, was used as a parameter for the diagnosis of NAFLD.ResultsAfter adjusting for age and sex, both maxTBR and LAI values were associated with several cardiometabolic risk parameters. Furthermore, there was a significant inter-relationship between LAI and maxTBR values (r = ? 0.227, P = 0.005). Individuals with NAFLD had higher maxTBR values than those without NAFLD (P = 0.026), although their carotid intima–media thickness (CIMT) values did not differ. The proportion of subjects with NAFLD showed a step-wise increment following the tertiles of maxTBR values (P for trend = 0.015). In multiple logistic regression analysis, maxTBR tertiles were independently associated with NAFLD after adjusting for age, gender, systolic blood pressure, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, glucose, BUN, creatinine and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (P = 0.030). However, their relationship was attenuated after further adjustment for waist circumference or high sensitive C-reactive protein.ConclusionPatients with NAFLD have an increased risk for vascular inflammation as measured via FDG-PET/CT even without difference in CIMT. (Clinical trials No. NCT01958411, http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/)
