Liver Enzymes and Their Association with Some Cardiometabolic Diseases: Evidence from a Large Kurdish Cohort

Objective. According to reports, liver enzymes might play a role in the incidence and development of cardiometabolic diseases such as metabolic syndrome (MetS), hypertension (HTN), and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). We conducted a study to investigate this hypothesis among the Iranian Kurdish population. Methods. We analyzed data from the baseline phase of the Ravansar noncommunicable disease (RaNCD) cohort. The association between liver enzymes (ALT, AST, ALT/AST ratio, GGT, and ALP) with cardiometabolic disease risk factors was investigated by multiple linear regression. The odds ratio of cardiometabolic diseases in each quartile category of liver enzyme concentration was estimated using multivariable logistic regression. Results. The mean age of participants was 47.3 +/- 4.1 years (48.1 years in males and 51.8 years in females). In the adjusted model, all enzymes were positively associated with MetS, HTN, and CVD risk factors except for the ALT/AST ratio with SBP and DBP. In the adjusted model, subjects in the fourth quartile for GGT, ALT/AST ratio, ALT, ALP, and AST had 3.29-, 2.94-, 2.45-, 2.00-, and 1.19-fold increased risk for MetS compared with subjects in the first quartile. Increased levels of GGT and ALP were positively associated with the risk of HTN (ORs=1.33, 95%CI=1.03-1.71 for GGT; ORs=1.32, 95%CI=-1.68 for ALP). An increased GGT level was significantly associated with CVD (ORs=1.54, 95%CI=1.03-1.68). Within the normal range quartile, ALT had a significant correlation with the incidence of MetS. Conclusion. According to the present study, the levels of liver enzymes could be considered for early diagnosis of MetS, HTN, and CVD.

Automated summary

This study found that liver enzymes levels could be considered for early diagnosis of metabolic syndrome, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases, with gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels showing the strongest correlation with hypertension risk.