Volume 59, Issue 1 pp. 80-88
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Low liver fat in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis-related significant fibrosis and cirrhosis is associated with hepatocellular carcinoma, decompensation and mortality

Sung Won Lee

Sung Won Lee

NAFLD Research Center, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA

Division of Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea

Contribution: Data curation (lead), Formal analysis (equal), Writing - original draft (lead), Writing - review & editing (lead)

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Daniel Q. Huang

Daniel Q. Huang

NAFLD Research Center, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA

Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore

Contribution: Data curation (equal), Writing - original draft (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal)

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Ricki Bettencourt

Ricki Bettencourt

NAFLD Research Center, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA

Contribution: Formal analysis (lead), Writing - review & editing (equal)

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Veeral Ajmera

Veeral Ajmera

NAFLD Research Center, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA

Division of Gastroenterology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA

Contribution: Data curation (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal)

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Monica Tincopa

Monica Tincopa

NAFLD Research Center, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA

Division of Gastroenterology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA

Contribution: Data curation (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal)

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Nabil Noureddin

Nabil Noureddin

NAFLD Research Center, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA

Division of Gastroenterology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA

Contribution: Data curation (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal)

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Maral Amangurbanova

Maral Amangurbanova

NAFLD Research Center, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA

Contribution: Data curation (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal)

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Harris Siddiqi

Harris Siddiqi

NAFLD Research Center, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA

Contribution: Data curation (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal)

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Egbert Madamba

Egbert Madamba

NAFLD Research Center, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA

Contribution: Data curation (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal)

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Abdul M. Majzoub

Abdul M. Majzoub

Evidence-Based Practice Center, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA

Contribution: Data curation (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal)

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Tarek Nayfeh

Tarek Nayfeh

Evidence-Based Practice Center, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA

Contribution: Data curation (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal)

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Nobuharu Tamaki

Nobuharu Tamaki

Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan

Contribution: Data curation (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal)

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Namiki Izumi

Namiki Izumi

Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan

Contribution: Data curation (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal)

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Atsushi Nakajima

Atsushi Nakajima

Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Japan

Contribution: Data curation (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal)

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Masato Yoneda

Masato Yoneda

Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Japan

Contribution: Data curation (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal)

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Ramzan Idilman

Ramzan Idilman

Department of Gastroenterology, Ankara University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey

Contribution: Data curation (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal)

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Mesut Gumussoy

Mesut Gumussoy

Department of Gastroenterology, Ankara University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey

Contribution: Data curation (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal)

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Digdem Kuru Oz

Digdem Kuru Oz

Department of Radiology, Ankara University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey

Contribution: Data curation (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal)

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Ayse Erden

Ayse Erden

Department of Radiology, Ankara University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey

Contribution: Data curation (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal)

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Rohit Loomba

Corresponding Author

Rohit Loomba

NAFLD Research Center, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA

Division of Gastroenterology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA

Correspondence

Rohit Loomba, NAFLD Research Center, University of California at San Diego, Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0887, USA.

Email: [email protected]

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First published: 15 November 2023
Citations: 5

The Handling Editor for this article was Dr Vincent Wong, and it was accepted for publication after full peer-review.

Summary

Background

Progression to cirrhosis in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is associated with a decrease in liver fat. However, the prognostic significance of liver fat content in NASH-related significant fibrosis and cirrhosis is unclear.

Aim

To investigate the risk of decompensation, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and mortality stratified by liver fat content in NASH-related significant fibrosis and cirrhosis.

Methods

In this meta-analysis of individual participant data, 456 patients with both magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) and MRI-derived protein density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF) were enrolled, and 296 patients with longitudinal follow-up were analysed. MRE combined with fibrosis-4 (MEFIB-index), and MRI-PDFF were used to measure liver fibrosis and fat, respectively. MEFIB-negative, MEFIB-positive+ MRI-PDFF ≥5% and MEFIB-positive+ MRI-PDFF <5% were defined as no significant liver fibrosis, NASH with significant fibrosis and higher liver fat content, and NASH with significant fibrosis and low liver fat content groups, respectively. The primary outcome was hepatic decompensation, HCC and death.

Results

The rates of decompensation, HCC and mortality were highest in the NASH with significant fibrosis and low liver fat group (33%, 17% and 17%, respectively), followed by the NASH with significant fibrosis and higher liver fat group (18%, 13% and 13% respectively), and lowest in the no significant fibrosis (MEFIB-negative) group (0%, 1% and 2% respectively). In multivariable-adjusted analysis, low liver fat content was strongly associated (HR = 42.2 [95% CI: 7.5–235.5, p < 0.0001]) with HCC, decompensation and death. Sensitivity analyses for patients with cirrhosis (MRE ≥5 kPa) determined consistent findings.

Conclusions

Low liver fat content in patients with burnt-out NASH-related significant fibrosis and cirrhosis is associated with an increase in hepatic decompensation, HCC and mortality.

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