Background
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is present in 15-25% of the general population. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between insulin resistance and non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in essential hypertensive patients, according to the circadian blood pressure rhythm. 
 
Method 
A prospective pilot study was conducted at the regional outpatient Diagnosis and Treatment Center Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The study included mild to moderate hypertensive patients who had never been previously treated. Patients were divided into two groups according to the circadian (blood pressure) rhythm. Group I included dipper and Group II included hypertensive non-dipper patients. All patients underwent 24 hour ambulatory blood pressure (ABPM) monitoring and abdominal ultrasound, for the diagnosis of fatty liver disease. Plasma insulin and HOMA index (homeostatic model assessment) and the prevalence of NAFLD were measured. Thirty three patients were enrolled in the study, 14 of them in the dipper group and 19 in the non-dipper group.  

Results
The nondipper hypertensive patients, showed a statistically higher plasma insulin and HOMA index (p