Assessment of left ventricular diastolic function in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease [NAFLD] is a spectrum of fat-associated liver conditions that can result in end stage liver disease. NAFLD patients when compared to control subjects have a higher prevalence of atherosclerosis which is independent of obesity and other established risk factors. Recent studies have identified NAFLD as a risk factor for early subclinical abnormalities in myocardial metabolism as well as in cardiac structure and function. In particular, it has been shown that NAFLD is associated with left ventricular hypertrophy and impaired diastolic function

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The Objective: The aim of this study is to assess left ventricular diastolic function in NAFLD patients

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Patients and Methods: The study included thirty Egyptian NAFLD patients their age between 20 and 45 years old, and twenty healthy control subjects who were age and sex matched. Full medical history, complete physical examination and laboratory tests were done in form of ALT, AST, total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, triglyceride, hemoglobin A1C, creatinine, urea and CBC. Abdominal ultrasonography and transthoracic echocardiography also were done

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Results: NAFLD patients had higher diastolic blood pressures, increased body mass indices, ALT, AST and glycated hemoglobin A1C more than controls. Also in our study the mean of E, E/A ratio, DT, lateral E/e and septal E/e is significant higher in NAFLD patients than control group. The mean of lateral e and septal e is lower in NAFLD patients than control group

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Conclusion: Patients with NAFLD had significant impairment on diastolic function in the non-diabetic and normotensive NAFLD patients compared to the controls as measured by two-dimensional echocardiography Doppler imaging in addition to tissue Doppler imaging