Lee CH, et al. - Researchers explored the link between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and lung function in the general population by performing cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis. Findings demonstrated the correlation between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease with decreased lung function at baseline. Nevertheless, no link was found with accelerated lung function decline in the propensity score-matched cohort. Hepatic fibrosis, however, exhibited a significant connection with rapid forced vital capacity decline.

Methods

• The enrollment consisted of subjects without hepatic and respiratory disease who underwent regular health exams, including hepatic sonography and spirometry with at least 3 years' follow-up.
• This cross-sectional analysis investigated the correlation between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and lung function at baseline with multiple regression models.
• Using mixed linear regression models, the longitudinal analysis was performed with propensity score matching.

Results

• Among 11,892 enrollees (mean age, 47.7 years; male, 47.2%), 3,815(32.1%) had nonalcoholic fatty liver disease based on sonography.
• It was determined that the nonalcoholic fatty liver disease group displayed lower adjusted forced expiratory volume in 1 second (men, 3.52 vs 3.44 L, P < .001; women, 2.62 vs 2.45 L, P < .001) and forced vital capacity (men, 4.33 vs 4.24 L, P < .001; women, 3.11 vs 2.97 L, P < .001) vs controls.
• This longitudinal analysis did not disclose any notable variations in forced expiratory volume in 1 second or forced vital capacity decline rates between 2 groups in the propensity score-matched cohorts (n = 4,558) during the mean follow-up period of 6.6 years.
• Nonetheless, individuals with high nonalcoholic fatty liver disease fibrosis score and fibrosis-4 (men, -21.7 vs -27.4 mL/y, P=.001; women, -22.4 vs -27.9 mL/y, P=.016) demonstrated significantly faster decline in forced vital capacity vs those with low scores.