ABSTRACT
Introduction: The relationship between cardiovascular disorders and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been extensively studied. To better pool this data and make a more definite conclusion, we performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the association between NAFLD and the thickness of media and intima of carotid artery (CIMT) and cardiovascular disorders. Methods: We searched PubMed, Ovid, Scopus, ProQuest, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library, and analyzed the pooled data using R studio and the "metafor" package. Results: The final analysis included a total of 59 studies with 16,179 cases and 26,120 control individuals. NAFLD was shown to be associated with an increase of 0.1231 mm (20.6%) in carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT) (p = 0.002, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.0462-0.2000) in individuals with NAFLD. The prevalence of atherosclerotic plaques in the carotid arteries and the occurrence of NAFLD are significantly correlated, according to a meta-analysis based on 17 distinct studies (p = 0.001, 1.28-1.43, 95% CI, odds ratio = 1.356). Conclusion: Patients with increased CIMT are considerably more likely to have NAFLD. Large prospective investigations are required to corroborate these findings and their prognostic significance, along with the effectiveness of the available interventions.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors reduce the composite of heart failure (HF) hospitalizations or cardiovascular mortality among patients with HF. However, the efficacy of SGLT2 inhibitors in secondary endpoints of randomized trials and in subgroups of HF patients is not well known. METHODS: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of placebo-controlled, randomized trials of SGLT2 inhibitors in patients with HF. PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases were searched for trials published up to January 21, 2021. Data were extracted from published reports and quality assessment was performed per Cochrane recommendations. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% CI were pooled across trials. The primary endpoints of interest were all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. RESULTS: Out of 3969 database results, 15 randomized trials and 20,241 patients were included; 10,594 (52·3%) received SGLT2 inhibitors. All-cause mortality (HR 0·86; 95% CI 0·79-0·94; p = 0·0007; I2=0%) and cardiovascular mortality (HR 0·86; 95% CI 0·78-0·96; p = 0·006; I2=0%) were significantly lower in patients treated with SGLT2 inhibitors compared with placebo. The composite of cardiovascular mortality, HF hospitalizations, or urgent visits for HF was significantly reduced with SGLT2 inhibitors in all the following subgroups: male, female, age < 65, age ≥ 65, race - Black and White, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60, eGFR ≥60, New York Heart Association (NYHA) class II, NYHA ≥III, and HF with preserved ejection fraction. INTERPRETATION: In patients with HF, SGLT2 inhibitors significantly reduce all-cause and cardiovascular mortality compared with placebo. In addition, the composite of cardiovascular mortality or HF hospitalizations/urgent visits is reduced with SGLT2 inhibitors across subgroups of sex, age, race, eGFR, HF functional class, and ejection fraction.
