Aim: Fatty liver and the liver fibrosis are known risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). The severity of fatty liver can be assessed by determining the fatty liver index (FLI), and the severity of liver fibrosis can be assessed by determining the fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) score. We examined the differences in the associations of these two liver scoring systems with the pathophysiological abnormalities associated with the risk of development of CVD.

Methods: The FLI and FIB-4 score were calculated in 2,437 Japanese men without any history of CVD. The serum NT-pro-BNP levels and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) were also measured at the start of the study and the end of three years’ follow-up.

Results: The FLI was significantly correlated with the baPWV (p＜0.01) and the FIB-4 score was significantly correlated with the serum NT-pro-BNP level (p＜0.01). Furthermore, the delta change of the FLI was significantly correlated with the delta change of the baPWV during the study period (p=0.01), and the delta change of the FIB-4 score was significantly correlated with the delta change of the serum NT-pro-BNP level during the study period (p＜0.01).

Conclusions: While the FIB-4 score may serve as a marker of the risk of development of heart failure, the FLI may be a marker of arterial stiffness in Japanese men without any history of CVD.