Many people think of the liver and the heart as completely separate organs.
In reality, they are closely connected because both are affected by the body’s metabolism, blood sugar, cholesterol, and inflammation. When one organ becomes unhealthy, the other may also be at greater risk.
Fatty liver disease develops when excess fat collects in the liver. It now affects an estimated 30% to 40% of adults in the United States, making it one of the most common long-term health conditions.
Most people feel perfectly well in the early stages, so the disease often remains hidden for years.
Researchers at the Mass General Brigham Heart and Vascular Institute wanted to know whether fatty liver disease could reveal hidden heart disease before symptoms appear.
Their findings were published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology and suggest that heart CT scans may provide valuable information beyond the heart itself.
The research team analyzed information from 3,637 patients enrolled in the PROMISE trial. These patients underwent cardiac CT scans because they were being evaluated for chest pain. Since part of the liver is included in many of these scans, the researchers were able to identify people with fatty liver disease without additional testing.
About one in four participants had fatty liver disease. When the scientists compared the CT scans, they found that these patients carried more noncalcified plaque in their coronary arteries. Unlike hardened calcified plaque, this softer plaque is more unstable and has a greater chance of rupturing and causing a heart attack.
The differences were significant. Patients with fatty liver disease had a 24% greater volume of noncalcified plaque and a 15% higher total plaque burden than those without the condition. These hidden artery changes may explain why heart disease is so common in people with fatty liver disease.
The participants were followed for just over two years on average. During that period, major cardiovascular events such as heart attack, death, or hospitalization for unstable angina occurred in 4.1% of people with fatty liver disease, compared with 2.5% of those without it.
After adjusting for other health risks, fatty liver disease still predicted a much higher chance of serious heart problems. The researchers estimated that dangerous noncalcified plaque accounted for part of this increased risk, although other biological factors are also likely to contribute.
Lead researcher Dr. Jan Brendel said fatty liver disease should be considered an important signal of future heart disease risk. Detecting it during a routine cardiac CT scan may encourage doctors to recommend earlier lifestyle changes or medicines that lower cardiovascular risk. Future research will examine whether newer treatments can reduce dangerous plaque and improve long-term outcomes.
This research offers an important message for both doctors and patients. It cannot prove that fatty liver disease directly causes heart disease, but it strongly supports the idea that the two conditions are closely linked.
Because fatty liver disease is common and often silent, identifying it early may provide an opportunity to prevent future heart attacks and other serious cardiovascular events before they happen.
If you care about heart disease, please read studies that herbal supplements could harm your heart rhythm, and how eating eggs can help reduce heart disease risk.
For more health information, please see recent studies that apple juice could benefit your heart health, and results showing yogurt may help lower the death risks in heart disease.
