Study Reveals MASLD, MetALD Responsible for One-Third of ICU Cirrhosis Cases

TUESDAY, Aug. 6, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD)-related and metabolic and alcohol-related liver disease (MetALD)-related cirrhosis is responsible for one-third of cirrhosis cases seen in the intensive care unit (ICU), according to a study published online July 22 in Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

Philippe Sultanik, M.D., Ph.D., from Sorbonne Université in Paris, and colleagues assessed the prevalence of MASLD-related cirrhosis in the ICU (January 2019 to September 2021) among 315 patients (39 with MASLD, 160 with alcohol-related liver disease [ALD], and 116 with MetALD cirrhosis).

The researchers found that patients in the MASLD group were significantly older (65 years versus 57 and 59 years, respectively) and had lower Child-Pugh (8 versus 11 and 10, respectively) and Model for End-Stage Liver Disease scores (17 versus 22 and 21, respectively). There were no differences in one-year transplant-free survival between the groups (53 percent versus 54 and 54 percent, respectively). All groups had cardiovascular mortality of less than 5 percent. The MASLD group had a significantly higher one-year probability of developing hepatic encephalopathy (73 percent versus 27 and 21 percent, respectively).

“MASLD or MetALD was responsible for one-third of the causes of cirrhosis in the ICU,” the authors write. “MASLD-related cirrhosis is as severe as ALD-related cirrhosis. Liver transplantation should be rapidly discussed.”

Abstract/Full Text