Atherosclerosis in chronic liver disease

Chronic liver disease includes several diseases that may result to the liver failure or cirrhosis in the long term. Atherosclerosis is a chronic and progressive multifocal disease. The acute phase response with chronic liver disease resulting in some changes in mediator levels were found in studies performed since the last decade. This is known that these mediators also play a role in the process of atherogenesis.The aim of our study was to investigating the severity of atherosclerosis in patients with chronic liver disease and to investigate the prevalence of risk factors that may also lead to atherosclerosis. For determinating the causes of trends in atherosclerosis, patients with chronic liver disease and control group were compared.In our study, patients were examined about age, gender, education, blood type, operation status, dental intervention, blood transfusion history, smoking, alcohol, chronic liver disease risk factors, cardiovascular disease risk factors, cardiac symptoms in both chronic liver disease patients with chronic liver disease and the control groups. Haematological and biochemical parameters were evaluated in the laboratory. In both groups, carotid intima media thickness was measured with ultrasound.Fifty chronic liver disease patients and fifty healty controls were included after obtaining the consent forms. Case and control groups were compared in terms of biochemical and hematological findings. The results of case group were consistent with chronic liver disease findings. Carotid intima media thickness, that measured by ultrasound, was lower in case group and this difference was statistically significant. For evaluating the risk factors for atherogenesis HsCRP, homocysteine, Lp (a), TPA and PAI-1 were examined in two groups. The values of TPA and PAI-1 results in cases were higher, and this difference was statistically significant.With this study, chronic liver disease and healthy control subjects were investigated in the frequency and severity of atherosclerosis. As a result the incidence of atherosclerosis in patients with chronic liver disease were decreased according to the data obtained from the results of biochemical parameters and noninvasive method. Different mechanisms of chronic liver disease is thought to be protective against atherosclerosis, but more extensive research on this subject are needed.