Prevalence and Association of Liver Steatosis and Non-Alcoholic Pancreatic Steatosis in Very High Cardiovascular Risk.

BACKGROUND/

OBJECTIVES

In the last decade, the prevalence of metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (17-46%) and non-alcoholic fatty pancreas disease (NAFPD) (16-33%) has increased due to their association with obesity, both predictors of early atherosclerosis and metabolic risk. Computed tomography (CT) has been proposed as a diagnostic method. Currently, the factors associated with NAFPD have not been fully described. The aim of this study is to describe the prevalence and association of NAFPD and liver steatosis in patients with very high cardiovascular risk.

METHODS

A retrospective evaluation was conducted on the medical records of patients classified as very high cardiovascular risk who had undergone a CT scan. NAFPD was determined by the difference in pancreatic and splenic attenuation (-1.9), while liver steatosis was identified by hepatic attenuation <40. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the independent factors associated with NAFPD.

RESULTS

169 medical records were collected; 68.6% (n = 116) were men, with a median age of 70 [IQR 61-78] years and 25.8 [IQR 23.7-28.7] kg/m2 of body mass index. According to the CT scans, 80.5% (n = 136) presented NAFPD, 24.3% (n = 41) had liver steatosis, and 21.3% (n = 36) had both. In the multivariate analysis, liver steatosis, abnormal levels of aspartate aminotransferase, and being overweight were independent factors associated with NAFPD.

CONCLUSIONS

In a very high cardiovascular-risk population, the prevalence of NAFPD is high, and it is independently associated with the presence of liver steatosis.