| Title: | Renal Denervation Improves Hepatic Steatosis in Hypertensive Patients With Metabolic Syndrome |
| Journal: | Hypertension |
| Published: | 24 Feb 2026 |
| Pubmed: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41732855/ |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1161/hypertensionaha.125.26601 |
Publication 17648
WARNING: the interactive features of this website use CSS3, which your browser does not support. To use the full features of this website, please update your browser.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Sympathetic overactivity is associated with hepatic steatosis. Renal denervation (RDN) is an approved treatment for uncontrolled hypertension through sympathetic modulation; however, its hepatic effects are unknown. This study aimed to assess the effects of RDN on noninvasive tests for hepatic steatosis.</p>
METHODS: This single-center study included patients with uncontrolled hypertension and cardiometabolic comorbidities undergoing RDN (n=32) or a sham procedure (n=10). Noninvasive tests for hepatic steatosis, including the hepatic steatosis index (HSI) and fatty liver index (FLI), were calculated at baseline and follow-up visits. An external cohort from the UK Biobank was used to validate the correlation between proton density fat fraction magnetic resonance imaging scans of the liver and these surrogates.</p>
RESULTS: Compared with the control group, RDN significantly reduced HSI at 3 months (0.4±0.5 versus -1.3±0.3; P=0.009), 6 months (0.0±0.9 versus -2.6±0.5; P=0.027), and 12 months (0.0±0.6 versus -2.1±0.5; P=0.013), as well as FLI at 3 months (2.6±2.2 versus -3.8±1.2; P=0.021), 6 months (4.1±2.4 versus -5.7±1.2; P=0.002), and 12 months (2.0±2.7 versus -6.2±1.3; P=0.018). No significant differences were found in HSI (-1.9±0.7 versus -2.2±0.7; P=0.77) and FLI (-7.1±1.8 versus -5.3±1.7; P=0.49) between subjects in the intervention group whose office blood pressure decreased above or below the median of 19.5 mm Hg after 12 months. In the UK Biobank, correlation analysis showed a significant relationship between proton density fat fraction magnetic resonance imaging and HSI (r=0.40; P<0.0001) and FLI (r=0.27; P<0.0001).</p>
CONCLUSIONS: RDN significantly reduced HSI and FLI in patients with uncontrolled hypertension and cardiometabolic comorbidities, suggesting a potential role of sympathetic modulation in metabolic disorders.</p>
13 Keywords
- Aged
- Fatty Liver
- Female
- Humans
- Hypertension
- Kidney
- Liver
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging
- Male
- Metabolic Syndrome
- Middle Aged
- Sympathectomy
- Treatment Outcome
12 Authors
- Mert Tokcan
- Mathias Hohl
- Carolin Victoria Schneider
- Kai Markus Schneider
- Philipp Markwirth
- Benedikt Bernhard
- Bernhard Haring
- Lucas Lauder
- Jörn Schattenberg
- Felix Mahfoud
- Saarraaken Kulenthiran
- Michael Böhm
1 Application
| Application ID | Title |
|---|---|
| 71300 | Elucidating host-environment interactions in gastrointestinal diseases |
Enabling scientific discoveries that improve human health