MAFLD might be better in identifying subjects with sarcopenia or cardiovascular risk than NAFLD: A nationwide study.

Abstract

Clinical features of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but not fulfilling the diagnostic criteria of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), remain unclear. We investigated the risk of sarcopenia and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in MAFLD and non-metabolic risk (MR) NAFLD. Subjects were selected from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys 2008-2011. Liver steatosis was assessed using fatty liver index. Significant liver fibrosis was defined using fibrosis-4 index, categorized by age cut-offs. Sarcopenia was defined as the lowest quintile sarcopenia index. Atherosclerotic CVD (ASCVD) risk score >10% was defined as high probability. A total of 7248 subjects had fatty liver (137 with non-MR NAFLD, 1752 with MAFLD/non-NAFLD, and 5359 with overlapping MAFLD and NAFLD). In non-MR NAFLD group 28 (20.4%) had significant fibrosis. The risk of sarcopenia (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]=2.71, 95% confidence index [CI]=1.27-5.78) and high probability of ASCVD (aOR=2.79, 95% CI=1.23-6.35) was significantly higher in MAFLD/non-NAFLD group than in non-MR NAFLD group (all P<0.05). The risk of sarcopenia and high probability of ASCVD was similar between subjects with and without significant fibrosis in non-MR NAFLD group (all P>0.05). However, the risk was significantly higher in MAFLD group than in non-MR NAFLD group (aOR=3.38 for sarcopenia and 3.73 for ASCVD; all P<0.05). The risks of sarcopenia and CVD were significantly higher in MAFLD group but did not differ according to fibrotic burden in non-MR NAFLD group. The MAFLD criteria might be better for identifying high-risk fatty liver disease than the NAFLD criteria.