Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Is Related to Abnormal Corrected QT Interval and Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in Chinese Male Steelworkers

Wei-Chin Hung, Teng-Hung Yu, Cheng-Ching Wu, Thung-Lip Lee, Wei-Hua Tang, Chia-Chi Chen, I-Cheng Lu, Fu-Mei Chung, Yau-Jiunn Lee and Chia-Chang Hsu ()
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Wei-Chin Hung: Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, E-Da Hospital, Kaohsiung 82445, Taiwan
Teng-Hung Yu: Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, E-Da Hospital, Kaohsiung 82445, Taiwan
Cheng-Ching Wu: Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, E-Da Hospital, Kaohsiung 82445, Taiwan
Thung-Lip Lee: Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, E-Da Hospital, Kaohsiung 82445, Taiwan
Wei-Hua Tang: Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Yuli Branch, Hualien 98142, Taiwan
Chia-Chi Chen: Department of Pathology, E-Da Hospital, Kaohsiung 82445, Taiwan
I-Cheng Lu: Department of Occupational Medicine, E-Da Hospital, Kaohsiung 82445, Taiwan
Fu-Mei Chung: Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, E-Da Hospital, Kaohsiung 82445, Taiwan
Yau-Jiunn Lee: Lee’s Endocrinologic Clinic, Pingtung 90000, Taiwan
Chia-Chang Hsu: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, E-Da Hospital, Kaohsiung 82445, Taiwan

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 21, 1-15

Abstract: Objectives: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been associated with an increased risks of corrected QT (QTc) prolongation and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), both of which are associated with the development of cardiovascular disease. Rotating night shift work and a higher risk of incident NAFLD have been reported in male steelworkers. This study aimed to investigate the association of the severity of NAFLD with a prolonged QTc interval and LVH in a large cohort of Chinese male steelworkers. Methods: We examined baseline data of 2998 male steel workers aged 26 to 71 years at two plants. All workers at both plants received regular health assessments, including 12-lead ECG and echocardiography. Abdominal ultrasonography was performed to evaluate the severity of NAFLD. QTc prolongation was defined as follows: normal ≤ 430 ms, borderline 431–450 ms, and abnormal ≥ 451 ms. LVH was defined as a left ventricular mass index (LVMI) >131 g/m 2 . Associations of NAFLD with an abnormal QTc interval and LVH were examined using univariate and multivariate analyses. Results: The QTc interval and the LVMI were significantly correlated with the NAFLD fibrosis score, and the severity of NAFLD was correlated with an abnormal QTc interval and LVH ( p for trend < 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that in comparison to the workers without NAFLD, the odds ratios of having an abnormal QTc interval and LVH were 2.54 (95% CI: 1.22–5.39, p = 0.013) times and 2.23 (95% CI: 1.02–5.01, p = 0.044) times higher in the workers with moderate/severe NAFLD. Conclusions: NAFLD may be closely associated with the risks of an abnormal QTc interval and LVH, suggesting that regular electrocardiogram and echocardiogram monitoring could be used to evaluate the risk of arrhythmia and LVH in male steelworkers with NAFLD.

Keywords: corrected QT prolongation; left ventricular hypertrophy; nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; steelworkers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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