Fatty liver index as a predictor of fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular events in Russians: analysis of an epidemiological cohort

Aim. To study the associations of a high fatty liver index (FLI ≥60) with the risk of death and nonfatal cardiovascular events in a Russian epidemiological cohort. Material and methods. The analysis included data from ESSE-RF2 epidemiological study. FLI was calculated using the Bedogni G et al. equation (2006). A high FLI ≥60 was considered a predictor of liver steatosis. A total of 5381 individuals aged 25-64 years from 4 Russian regions (the Republic of Karelia, Krasnodar Krai, Omsk and Ryazan Oblasts) were included, of which 1672 had FLI ≥60. Fatal endpoints included all-cause (ACD) and cardiovascular death (CVD), while nonfatal endpoints included myocardial infarction (MI), cerebrovascular accident (CVA), heart failure progression (hospitalization), and revascularization. The composite endpoint (CE) included cardiovascular death or a non-fatal endpoint. Statistical analysis was performed using the R language and environment (version 4.2). The significance level for all tested hypotheses was p