Thyroid Function Tied to Mortality in NAFLD
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in combination with low thyroid function is associated with an increased risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, according to new research.
For the study, in The American Journal of Gastroenterology, Dr. Donghee Kim of Stanford University School of Medicine, in California, and colleagues examined data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) III, which was conducted from 1988 to 1994.
In particular, they analyzed NHANES III-linked mortality data through 2015 on more than 10,000 participants. There were a total of 2,978 deaths, most commonly due to cardiovascular causes and cancer, during the median follow-up period of 23 years.
The prevalence of NAFLD, defined as ultrasonographically diagnosed hepatic steatosis without coexisting liver disease, was 33.9%, including 19.7% with moderate to severe steatosis.
Antihypertensives Linked to Reduced Risk of Colorectal Cancer
Treating hypertension with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) was associated with a reduced risk for colorectal cancer, according to findings from a large retrospective study.
However, another study reported just over a year ago suggested that ACE inhibitors, but not ARBs, are associated with an increased risk for lung cancer.
An expert approached for comment emphasized that both studies are observational, and as such they only show an association, and cannot infer causation.
In this latest study, published online today in the journal Hypertension, the use of ACE inhibitors/ARBs was associated with a 22% lower risk for colorectal cancer developing within 3 years after a negative baseline colonoscopy.
This is the largest study to date, with a cohort of more than 185,000 patients, to suggest a significant protective effect for these two common antihypertensive medications, the authors note.
The risk of developing colorectal cancer decreased with longer duration of ACE inhibitor/ARB use, with a 5% reduction in adjusted hazard ratio risk for each year of use.
However, this effect was limited to patients who had negative colonoscopies within a 3-year period and did not extend beyond that point.