NAFLD independently Associated with higher Mortality in Older Adults

Written By : Jacinthlyn Sylvia |Medically Reviewed By : Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli Published On 2024-01-10T19:00:42+05:30 | Updated On 10 Jan 2024 7:00 PM IST

A comprehensive study published in the journal of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology highlights the alarming rise of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) worldwide by emphasizing the impact on mortality. The study explored the independent associations of NAFLD with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in older adults residing in the US.

This research was conducted with data from the Rancho Bernardo Study cohort which spanned from 1992 to 1996. The mortality data was tracked up until July 2019 and the study included a total of 1523 participants with a mean age of 71.8 years. 26.4% were diagnosed with NAFLD. Over 23,311 person-years of follow-up, individuals with NAFLD exhibited a 26% higher all-cause mortality risk (HR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.08–1.47).

NAFLD was independently associated with a 33% higher risk of cardiac mortality (HR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.04–1.70) and 55% increase in cancer mortality (HR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.11–2.15) when compared to those without NAFLD. Also, 13.9% of all deaths, 6.2% of cardiac deaths, and 12.1% of cancer deaths were attributable to NAFLD after adjusting for risk factors such as sedentary lifestyle, obesity, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes.

The study underscores that NAFLD is prevalent and independently associated with higher all-cause, cardiac, and cancer mortality rates in older adults. The findings highlight the need for continued efforts to increase awareness about NAFLD and the imperative to develop care pathways and public health initiatives to reduce the burden of NAFLD and the mortality associated. Proactive measures and public health strategies are critical in addressing this silent threat to longevity and well-being among older populations in this current state of rising global prevalence of NAFLD.

Source:

de Avila, L., Henry, L., Paik, J. M., Ijaz, N., Weinstein, A. A., & Younossi, Z. M. (2023). Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Is Independently Associated With Higher All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality. In Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology (Vol. 21, Issue 10, pp. 2588-2596.e3). Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cgh.2023.01.006

Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatologynonalcoholic fatty liver diseaseall-cause mortality

Source : Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology

Jacinthlyn Sylvia

Neuroscience Masters graduate

Jacinthlyn Sylvia, a Neuroscience Master's graduate from Chennai has worked extensively in deciphering the neurobiology of cognition and motor control in aging. She also has spread-out exposure to Neurosurgery from her Bachelor’s. She is currently involved in active Neuro-Oncology research. She is an upcoming neuroscientist with a fiery passion for writing. Her news cover at Medical Dialogues feature recent discoveries and updates from the healthcare and biomedical research fields. She can be reached at editorial@medicaldialogues.in

Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli

Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751