Prevalences of Hypertension, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, and Cardiovascular Disease in a Cohort of Puerto Ricans with Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Abstract

Background & objectives: Patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) have high prevalences of hypertension (HTN), type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and cardiovascular disease (CVD), and vice versa. The mechanism of this development is unknown but appears to be related to an underlying metabolic derangement that affects multiple organs. This study aimed to determine the prevalences of these conditions in patients with diagnosed NAFLD.

Methods: Our cohort study aimed to determine the prevalences of HTN, T2DM, and CVD in NAFLD patients registered in the liver database of the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine; this information is recorded in their medical records. Patients whose liver disease had a different etiology were excluded. The study was approved by the UPR Medical Sciences Campus Institutional Review Board.

Results: Our final sample consisted of 141 NAFLD patients; 64.5% (n = 91) of them were females. The average age was 69 (±10.2 years). The prevalences of HTN, T2DM, and CVD were 53.9%, 57.5%, and 7.8%, respectively. In patients with NAFLD, there was a significant association between T2DM and being 65 years old or older (P < 0.001).

Conclusion: Our data indicate that HTN and T2DM are highly prevalent in NAFLD patients in PR; however, CVD prevalence was lower than expected. Additional, studies are required to further define the associations. We recommend metabolic condition screening for all NAFLD patients.

Keywords: NAFLD; Prevalence; Screening.