Abstract
Background: Population-based data are lacking regarding whether fatty liver is a risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and mortality in patients with chronic viral hepatitis. Aim: To investigate the association of fatty liver with HCC incidence and mortality in patients with chronic viral hepatitis using a nationwide cohort. Methods: We included 57,385 patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) or chronic hepatitis C (CHC) who underwent health examinations. The patients were divided into three groups: no fatty liver, fatty liver index (FLI) <30, grade 1 (G1) fatty liver: 30≤ FLI <60, and grade 2 (G2) fatty liver: FLI >60. Results: During a median 8.4-year follow-up, we documented 3496 HCC cases and 4146 deaths. Compared to patients with no fatty liver (n = 35,018), the risk of HCC was significantly higher in patients with G1 fatty liver (n = 14,544) (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] = 1.50, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.38-1.64) and G2 fatty liver (n = 7,823) (aHR = 1.88, 95% CI = 1.67-2.12). The risk of mortality was significantly higher in patients with G1 fatty liver (aHR = 1.53, 95% CI = 1.41-1.66) and G2 fatty liver (aHR = 2.16, 95% CI = 1.94-2.42) compared to patients with no fatty liver. Conclusions: Concurrent fatty liver was associated with a higher risk of HCC and mortality in patients with chronic viral hepatitis. Our results suggest the importance of management of fatty liver to reduce the risks of HCC and mortality in patients with chronic viral hepatitis.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 97-107 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics |
| Volume | 55 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2022 Jan |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This study was supported by The Research Supporting Program of The Korean Association for the Study of the Liver and The Korean Liver Foundation. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish or preparation of the manuscript. Declaration of personal interests: Dr Ahn has served as an advisor and lecturer for Bristol-Myers Squibb, Gilead Sciences, MSD, AbbVie, Janssen, Assembly Biosciences, Arbutus Biopharma, Green Cross and Ildong for work unrelated to this manuscript, and has received unrestricted grant from Gilead Sciences for the investigator-initiated trials, which is unrelated to this manuscript. The other authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Funding Information:
This study was supported by The Research Supporting Program of The Korean Association for the Study of the Liver and The Korean Liver Foundation. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish or preparation of the manuscript.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Hepatology
- Gastroenterology
- Pharmacology (medical)
