Stroke A new study from St Michael’s Hospital and the London Health Sciences Centre, in Canada, has found that fatty liver disease – which is not the same as liver disease of alcohol drinkers – makes a person three times more likely to have a stroke.
Fatty liver disease, also called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is the term used to describe liver disease where the patient is teetotal or drinks very little alcohol. It is a fairly common disease - according to Patient UK one in five adults have it, although that figure rises to four in five for obese adults - and, in most people, it is symptomless. If the fat accumulates to an extent where it causes inflammation, however, it can also scar the liver - at its most severe, fatty liver disease can cause liver failure. This new study is the first to find a link between fatty liver disease and stroke.
The researchers looked at data for 103 patients who had had a confirmed case of acute stroke – the data included blood tests that checked for NAFLD markers. These patients had had acute stroke verified via an MRI scan, which enables doctors to see the blood vessels and the flow to, and in, the brain. This allows them to conclusively diagnose a stroke. The researchers compared that data with that of 200 patients who had had suspected acute stroke but for whom an MRI scan had shown no evidence of an acute stroke. This latter group served as the control group. What they found was that the usually non-fatal form of liver disease increased a person’s risk of stroke three-fold.
Risk factors for liver disease include obesity, high cholesterol levels, high levels of triglycerides and type 2 diabetes, as well as metabolic syndrome.
Risk factors for stroke include obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, artery hardening (atherosclerosis), smoking, alcohol, and lack of exercise. There are also certain factors that are beyond your control: family history, age (the older you are the more likely a stroke is), whether or not you’ve had a previous stroke and if you’ve got patent foramen ovale (hole in the heart), which puts you at greater risk too.
First published January 18, 2011