Association of worsening of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease with cardiometabolic function and intestinal bacterial overgrowth: A cross-sectional study

PLoS One. 2020 Aug 26;15(8):e0237360. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0237360. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

Background & aims: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been associated with small bowel bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and cardiometabolic dysfunction. This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the cardio-metabolic parameters and SIBO in patients with different degrees of hepatic fibrosis estimated by NAFLD fibrosis score (NFS).

Methods: Subjects (n = 78) were allocated to three groups: Healthy control (n = 30), NAFLD with low risk of advanced fibrosis (NAFLD-LRAF, n = 17) and NAFLD with a high risk of advanced fibrosis (NAFLD-HRAF, n = 31). Anthropometrics, blood pressure, electrocardiogram and heart rate variability (HRV) were evaluated. Only the NAFLD-LRAF and NAFLD-HRAF groups were submitted to blood biochemical analysis and glucose hydrogen breath tests.

Results: The NAFLD-HRAF group had higher age and body mass index when compared to the control and NAFLD-LRAF groups. The prevalence of SIBO in the NAFLD group was 8.33%. The low frequency/high-frequency ratio (LF/HF ratio) was augmented in NAFLD-LRAF (p < 0.05) when compared with control group. NAFLD-HRAF group had a wide QRS complex (p < 0.05) and reduced LF/HF ratio (p < 0.05) compared to the control and NAFLD-LRAF groups. Serum levels of albumin and platelets were more reduced in the NAFLD-HRAF subjects (p < 0.05) than in the NAFLD-LRAF.

Conclusions: NAFLD impairs cardiac autonomic function. Greater impairment was found in subjects with a worse degree of hepatic fibrosis estimated by NFS. Hypoalbuminemia and thrombocytopenia were higher in subjects with a worse degree of hepatic fibrosis, whereas prevalence of SIBO positive was similar between the groups.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Bacteria / growth & development*
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Disease Progression*
  • Electrocardiography
  • Female
  • Fibrosis
  • Heart Rate
  • Humans
  • Intestines / microbiology*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Myocardium / metabolism*
  • Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / metabolism*
  • Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / microbiology*
  • Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / pathology
  • Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / physiopathology
  • Risk

Grants and funding

The authors thank the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior- CAPES, Brazil) for financial aid to students support (code 0002) awarded to MMPL. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.