Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease associated with preterm birth: Study

In a new study conducted by Coralie Amadou and team it was shows the correlation between birth weight (BW) and the prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The findings of this study were published in Hepatology Journal.

Since the 1980s, the link between birth weight and metabolic consequences has been reported, but NAFLD has received little research. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to look into the relationship between BW and the prevalence of NAFLD in adult patients.

Participants from the French national Constances cohort from 2012 to 2019 made up the study population. Excessive alcohol use and chronic viral hepatitis histories preclude participation. The Fatty Liver Index (FLI) and the Forns Index were used in conjunction to achieve a noninvasive diagnostic of NAFLD and fibrosis. A sex-stratified logistic regression model with adjustments for sociodemographic factors, lifestyle factors, and birth term was used to assess the association between BW and NAFLD, while a sex-stratified linear regression model was used to investigate the link between BW and liver fibrosis.

The key findings of this study were:

1. 55,034 people with reliable BW in total (43% males, 38 years on average) were included.

2. There were 5530 people (10%) with NAFLD (FLI 60).

3. With no significant sex interaction, multivariate logistic regression revealed a strong U-shaped connection between BW and NAFLD.

4. Between BW and Forns Index, a substantial and gradually deteriorating correlation was discovered.

5. A substantial direct effect of preterm birth was found to be linked with NAFLD (OR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.03-1.48 for delivery between 33 and 37 weeks versus 37 weeks), however there was no evidence of an indirect effect of low BW.

6. Participants who had preterm births compared to those who had full-term births did not have a substantially higher Forns Index.

This investigation in the general population reveals that those with low or high BW have a higher chance of developing NAFLD. The elevated risk in people who were born with HBW is probably influenced by excess body fat mass in maturity. In contrast to intrauterine growth retardation, preterm delivery is associated with a higher risk of NAFLD at the other end of the BW spectrum. Future studies in the same cohort should examine whether the higher risk in those with LBW is mediated by fat mass gained during the first few months of life. When it comes to the prevention of metabolic illnesses in children, BW should be seen as a key component. NAFLD should be viewed as one of the adult chronic diseases with early life origins.

Reference:

Amadou, C., Nabi, O., Serfaty, L., Lacombe, K., Boursier, J., Mathurin, P., Ribet, C., de Ledinghen, V., Zins, M., & Charles, M. (2022). Association between birth weight, preterm birth, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in a community‐based cohort. In Hepatology (Vol. 76, Issue 5, pp. 1438–1451). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/hep.32540