Gender impacts on the correlations between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and hypertension in a Chinese population aged 45-60 y.

No previous study has reported the association between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and the risk of hypertension in the Chinese population. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between NAFLD and hypertension in a middle-aged Chinese population. The study subject was (a group of) 1006 Chinese adults aged 45-60 y in Shandong Province who participated in the Weifang Nutrition and Health Survey (2014-2015). Hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥140 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ≥ 9 0mmHg. NAFLD was defined as the presence of moderate-severe hepatic steatosis (by B-ultrasonic examination), the absence of excessive alcohol use (>20 g/d in men and 10 g/d in women), no use of steatogenic medications within the past six months, no exposure to hepatotoxins, and no history of bariatric surgery. All anthropometric measurements and biochemical data were collected following standard protocols. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the association between NAFLD and hypertension with adjustment of potential confounding variables. Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), fasting glucose, SBP, DBP, triglycerides (TG), serum uric acid (SUA), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and the prevalence of hypertension and NAFLD were significantly higher in males than in females (p < 0.05). Females had significantly higher levels of total cholesterol (TC) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). After adjusting for potential confounders, NAFLD was associated with an increased risk of hypertension in both male and female, with odds ratios (ORs) (95% CI) of 2.152 (1.324-3.498) and 2.133 (1.409-3.229), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicated that NAFLD was significantly associated with the risk of hypertension in males than in females. However, our findings also need to be confirmed in future prospective studies. ABBREVIATIONS: BMI: body mass index; WC: waist circumference; WHR: waist-hip ratio; SBP: systolic blood pressure; DBP: diastolic blood pressure; FG: fasting glucose; TG: triglycerides; TC: total cholesterol; HDL-C: high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; SUA: serum uric acid; NAFLD: nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; LDL-C: low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; OR: odds ratio; CI: confidence interval; ALT: alanine aminotransferase; AST: aspartate aminotransferase.

Atorvastatin Treatment for Atrial Fibrillation Reduces Serum High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein Levels.

We investigated whether serum hs-CRP levels predict the efficacy of atrial fibrillation (AF) treated with atorvastatin. Bibliographic databases were exhaustively searched for studies relevant to the research topic. Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) criteria, combined with the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS), were applied for study quality assessment. Our meta-analysis identified seven cohort studies (2006~2013), providing information on the change in serum hs-CRP levels in AF patients receiving atorvastatin therapy. After atorvastatin treatment, hs-CRP level in AF patients decreased significantly (SMD = 1.02, 95% CI: 0.58-1.47, P < 0.001). Subgroup analysis by country and hs-CRP detection methods suggested a negative relationship between atorvastatin treatment and hs-CRP levels among Chinese AF patients (SMD = 1.34, 95% CI: 1.00-1.69, P < 0.001) and by using ELISA method (SMD = 1.11, 95% CI: 0.51-1.71, P < 0.001), but not among Turkish population and using INA method (all P > 0.05). Egger's test showed no publication bias (P = 0.450). hs-CRP was clearly lowered in AF patients treated with atorvastatin, which may be helpful in the choice of statin agents for AF treatment. However, longer follow-ups are necessary to assess the clinical value of lowering hs-CRP in the clinical setting of AF treatment outcomes.