Horm Metab Res 2019; 51(09): 602-607
DOI: 10.1055/a-0897-8565
Endocrine Care
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Association Between Visfatin and Hepatic Steatosis in the General Population During Long-Term Follow-Up

Katharina Johannsen
1   Department of Internal Medicine I, Ulm University Hospital, Ulm, Germany
,
Marion Flechtner-Mors
7   Division of Sports- and Rehabilitation Medicine, Ulm University Hospital, Ulm, Germany
,
Wolfgang Kratzer
1   Department of Internal Medicine I, Ulm University Hospital, Ulm, Germany
,
Wolfgang Koenig
2   Department of Internal Medicine II, Ulm University Hospital, Ulm, Germany
3   German Heart Centre Munich, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
4   DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany
,
Bernhard Otto Boehm
1   Department of Internal Medicine I, Ulm University Hospital, Ulm, Germany
5   Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
6   Imperial College London, London, UK
,
Julian Schmidberger
1   Department of Internal Medicine I, Ulm University Hospital, Ulm, Germany
,
for the EMIL-Study group › Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

received 21 January 2019

accepted 17 April 2019

Publication Date:
27 May 2019 (online)

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate any association between the adipose tissue-derived protein, visfatin, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its potential long-term impact on hepatic steatosis. A cross-sectional study including 2429 randomly selected subjects was performed in 2002. Later, 403 subjects were re-evaluated in 2013. Serum visfatin concentrations were determined by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Phenotyping included abdominal ultrasonography, anthropometric data, and laboratory investigations. No association was found between circulating visfatin levels and the presence of NAFLD at baseline (2002: p=0.0967) or during follow-up (2013: p=0.1312). However, a significant increase in visfatin levels in relation to the level of steatosis was seen during follow-up (p<0.0001). During the more than 10-year follow-up, the metabolic status of the study subjects worsened, with a significant increase in body mass index (BMI) (p<0.0001), waist-to-hip ratio (p<0.0001), triglycerides (TG) (p<0.0001), low-density lipoprotein (p=0.0305), homeostasis model assessment (p<0.0001), and presence of diabetes (p<0.0001). This change was accompanied by an increase in serum visfatin levels, which showed a weak correlation with BMI (p<0.0001, r=0.27586) and presence of diabetes (p<0.0043, r=0.14188). A statistically significant correlation between leucocyte numbers and serum visfatin concentration (p<0.0001, r=0.25615) was found. We found no association between visfatin levels and the presence or absence of NAFLD or the degree of hepatic fatty infiltration at baseline. There was a strong correlation between serum visfatin concentrations and the number of leucocytes, which may suggest a proinflammatory role for visfatin.

 
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