Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease may increase risk of gallstone development: JAMA

The risk escalated with an escalating number of MAFLD disease components for individuals aged 50 and above. Key risk factors included waist circumference and age in men, while in women, current smoking and age emerged as significant contributors. The findings were published online in the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology on January 11, 2024.

The findings imply that paying attention to an increase in the number of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease components in patients aged ≥ 50 years is critical for gallstone prevention.

"After adjustment, the odds ratios of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease for gallstone development in men and women were 3.019 and 2.201, respectively," the researchers reported.

The researchers noted a lack of clarity on the impact of MAFLD on gallstone development. Masahiro Sogabe, Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima, Japan, and colleagues aimed to investigate the longitudinal association between MAFLD and gallstone development in both women and men.

The observational cohort study included 5398 patients without gallstones who underwent > 2 health check-ups between 2014 and 2020. The association between MAFLD and gallstone development was analyzed using a generalized estimation equation model, according to repeated measures at baseline and most recent stage.

Based on the study, the researchers reported the following findings:

• After adjustment, the odds ratios of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease for gallstone development in men and women were 3.019 and 2.201, respectively.
• Among patients aged ≥ 50 years, the odds ratio for gallstone development was significantly enhanced with increasing MAFLD component numbers in both sexes; however, no significance was observed in those aged < 50 years.
• Other significant risk factors for gallstone development were age (odds ratio: 1.093) and waist circumference (odds ratio: 1.048) in men and age (odds ratio: 1.035) and current smoking (odds ratio: 5.465) in women.

"The findings showed that risk factors for gallstone development differed between sexes, but metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease was common," the researchers wrote.

"Paying attention to an increase in the number of MAFLD components in patients aged ≥ 50 years is important for gallstone prevention," they concluded.

Reference:

Sogabe, M., Okahisa, T., Kagawa, M., Sei, M., Kagemoto, K., Tanaka, H., Kida, Y., Nakamura, F., Tomonari, T., Okamoto, K., Miyamoto, H., Sato, Y., Nakasono, M., & Takayama, T. Association of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease with gallstone development: A longitudinal study. Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. https://doi.org/10.1111/jgh.16483