Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, diastolic dysfunction, and impaired myocardial glucose uptake in patients with type 2 diabetes

Aims: To investigate whether degree of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with myocardial dysfunction related to impaired myocardial glucose uptake in patients with type 2 diabetes. Materials and methods: In total, 131 patients with type 2 diabetes from a tertiary care hospital were included in this study. Myocardial glucose uptake was assessed using [¹⁸F]-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography. Hepatic steatosis and fibrosis were determined using transient liver elastography. Echocardiography was performed to evaluate cardiac structure and function. Results: Patients with NAFLD had cardiac diastolic dysfunction with higher left ventricular filling pressure (E/e' ratio) and left atrial (LA) volume index than patients without NAFLD (all P < 0.05). Hepatic steatosis correlated with E/e' ratio and LA volume index, and hepatic fibrosis also correlated with E/e' ratio (all P < 0.05). Even after adjusting for confounding factors, a higher degree of hepatic steatosis (r² = 0.409, P = 0.041) and a higher degree of fibrosis (r² = 0.423, P = 0.009) were independent contributing factors to a higher E/e' ratio. Decreased myocardial glucose uptake was associated with a higher degree of steatosis (P for trend = 0.084) and fibrosis (P for trend = 0.012). At the same time, decreased myocardial glucose uptake was an independent contributing factor for a higher E/e' ratio (r² = 0.409; P = 0.040). Conclusions: Hepatic steatosis and fibrosis were significantly associated with diastolic heart dysfunction in patients with type 2 diabetes coupled with impaired myocardial glucose uptake.