Abstract: Abstract: Objective To investigate the risk factors of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus complicated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Methods A retrospective study was conducted. A total of 153 patients with type 2 diabetes and NAFLD who were hospitalized in the department of endocrinology of Tianjin Third Central Hospital from September 2014 to March 2015 were selected. According to the results of electrocardiogram, patients were divided into AF group (n=55) and non-AF group (n=98). The clinical data were collected to compare the differences of age,gender, blood pressure, blood lipids, heart function and liver and kidney functions between the two groups. The multivariate Logistic regression was used to screen the risk factors of AF in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus complicated with NAFLD. Results The age, body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure (SBP), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT), uric acid (UA), B type natriuretic peptide (BNP), left atrial diameter, left ventricular hypertrophy on the electrocardiogram diagnosis rate, the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and NAFLD fibrosis score (NFS) were significantly higher in AF group than those of non-AF group (P < 0.05). Multivariate Logistic analysis showed that the advanced age, left ventricular hypertrophy and high levels of TC, GGT, NLR and NFS were the risk factors for AF in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and NAFLD.Conclusion Inflammation and fibrosis may be the common pathological process of NAFLD and atrial fibrillation. Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus complicated with NAFLD should control blood lipids strictly and improve the long- term chronic inflammatory state to prevent the occurrence of AF.

Key words: diabetes mellitus, type 2, fatty liver, atrial fibrillation, risk factors, inflammation, dyslipidemias, nonalcoholic fatty liver, NLR, NFS