Comparative effects of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease on risk of incident cardiovascular events: a meta-analysis of about 13 million individuals

We read with interest the report on comparative risks of liver-related and cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes among lean and obese patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) by Younes et al.1 Recently, international experts proposed redefining NAFLD as metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD).2 The impact of this name change on CVD risk prediction is not known. We performed a meta-analysis of observational cohort studies (by searching PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science from database inception to 30 June 2022) that simultaneously used the NAFLD and MAFLD definitions for examining the risk of incident CVD events associated with both definitions, among adults with and without either NAFLD or MAFLD, and in which hepatic steatosis was diagnosed by imaging techniques or blood biomarkers/scores. Studies using liver biopsy were not available. The primary outcomes were CVD mortality, non-fatal CVD events or both. Data from selected studies were…

Leggi
Giugno 2023