Mean Arterial Pressure Is Related to Incident Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease among the Nonobese Female with Normal Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Levels: A Large Cohort Study in China

Abstract

Aim. We aimed to demonstrate the independent effect of mean arterial pressure (MAP) on incident nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) among the nonobese Chinese with normal low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. Methods. 16,153 nonobese participants without NAFLD at baseline were enrolled and then assigned to four groups by quartiles of MAP (Q1-Q4). A subgroup analysis by gender was also conducted. Participants were diagnosed with NAFLD by ultrasonography. Results. During a mean follow-up of 2.80 years, the cumulative incidence of NAFLD was 14.37 and the incidence rate was 513.17 per 10,000 person-years. The cumulative incidence of NAFLD for the whole population or gender groups gradually increased with the quartiles of MAP (all P<0.001). In the Q4 of MAP, the cumulative incidence of NAFLD for the whole population, male, and female reached up to 6.22 (5.75-6.70), 6.70 (6.21-7.19), and 5.69 (5.24-6.14), respectively. After adjustment for potential confounders, as compared with Q1, the hazard ratio for NAFLD was 1.328 (1.072-1.647), 1.625 (1.276-2.069), and 1.697 (1.231-2.340) for Q2, Q3, and Q4, respectively. In subgroup analysis, the respective hazard ratio for NAFLD in Q2, Q3, and Q4 of MAP was 1.760 (1.276-2.429), 2.080 (1.433-3.019), and 2.377 (1.452-3.890), compared with female in the Q1 of MAP. But MAP was not associated with incident NAFLD in male. Besides, MAP had a larger area under the receiver-operating characteristic curves than SBP or DBP, with optimal cutoff point of 88 mmHg in male and 89 mmHg in female. Conclusions. MAP is an independent predictor for incident NAFLD among nonobese female with normal LDL levels.