Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease discovered to be new risk factor for heart failure patients

Angie SzumlinskiHealth, News

A recent study finds that nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an emerging risk factor for incident heart failure (HF). Before this study, NAFLD was suspected to increase all-cause mortality in patients admitted for acute HF, but was never proven to do so.

The study was conducted on 264 patients, of whom all were admitted for acute HF between 2013 and 2015.  Patients with additional diagnoses of acute myocardial infarction, severe valvular heart diseases, kidney failure, cancer, cirrhosis of any etiology or known chronic liver diseases. Follow-up ceased on November 1, 2017.

The study showed that 140 (53%) of patients passed away over a 58-month period, with a mean time period of 23.2 months between admission and death. Those with NAFLD had significantly higher all-cause mortality rates both in-hospital and post-discharge. Patients with advanced NAFLD fibrosis suffered even higher mortality risk.

A definitive link has been shown between severity of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and incident heart failure. Click To Tweet

Now, thanks to the study, a definitive link has been shown between severity of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and incident heart failure.

You can read the whole study HERE.