Recent Findings: January 15, 2021
Hepatic fibrosis associates with multiple cardiometabolic disease risk factors: The Framingham Heart Study
This foundational study of 3,200 adult Framingham Heart Study participants found liver stiffness, a marker of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, correlated with increased risks for cardiovascular disease.
This significant finding is due in part the more than 3,000 middle-aged Framingham Heart Study participants (over a three-year period) whom underwent a test called a Fibroscan or vibration-controlled transient elastography during the FHS research examinations. A Fibroscan quantifies how much fat is in the liver and also measures the stiffness of the liver. Liver stiffness correlates with the degree of liver scarring.
In an interview with News Medical Life Sciences, lead author Michelle Long, MD, MSc noted
“Before this study, we did not know how common asymptomatic liver fibrosis (scarring) was among adults living in the community.”
Michelle T. Long, MD, MSc, corresponding author, assistant professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM)
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