Table 1.
Major studies that evaluated the association between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and ischemic stroke
| Ref. | Design | Mean age (yr) | Follow-up | Outcome |
| [7] | Prospective observational study in 1637 healthy Japanese men/women | 47.8 | 2 yr | Higher incidence of CVD including stroke in patients with NAFLD compared with controls |
| [22] | Prospective study in 242 patients admitted with acute stroke | 66 | 2 yr | Increased risk of acute stroke, more severe stroke and worse outcome in patients with NAFLD |
| [11] | Prospective study in 6997 men with no history of CVD or diabetes mellitus | 40-59 | 24 yr | Association between gGT and higher incidence of fatal, major stroke events and total CVD mortality |
| [10] | Cross sectional study in adults with suspected acute stroke | 20-27 | Not applicable | Elevated ALP and ALT levels independently associated with higher risk of acute stroke |
| [12] | Case-control study using data from 3 European cohort studies in 13177 subjects | 40-60 | 3-8 yr | Elevated gGT levels associated with higher risk of stroke |
| [21] | Case-control study in 295 patients with acute stroke and 1942 healthy subjects | 60 | Not applicable | Liver fibrosis was associated with higher incidence of ischemic stroke |
| [20] | Meta analysis of 9 studies that examined relation of NAFLD and stroke | Not reported | Not applicable | Higher risk of ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke in patients with NAFLD |
| [23] | Retrospective study in 306 patients with confirmed brainstem infractions | 65 | Not applicable | Higher incidence of brainstem infracts in patients with NAFLD |
| [24] | Study in 415 patients admitted with acute ischemic stroke | 78.8 | Duration of hospitalization | NAFLD was not associated with stroke severity at admission or outcome during hospitalization |
| [19] | Case-cohort study in 572 patients with stroke and 1017 controls | > 45 | 5.8 yr | Fatty liver index associated with increased risk for ischemic stroke in women and with lower risk in women |
| [20] | Cross-sectional study in 1277 subjects who underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging and abdominal ultrasound during check-up | > 40 yr | Not applicable | NAFLD diagnosed with ultrasonography was associated with increased prevalence of lacunar infarcts in non-obese subjects but not in obese patients |
CVD: Cardiovascular disease; gGT: G-glutamyltransferase; ALP: Alkaline phosphatase; ALT; Alanine aminotransferase; NAFLD: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.