Diabetes mellitus and the progression of non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease to decompensated cirrhosis: a retrospective cohort study

• Published in: Medical journal of Australia Vol. 219; no. 8; pp. 358 - 365
• Main Authors: O'Beirne, James, Skoien, Richard, Leggett, Barbara A, Hartel, Gunter F, Gordon, Louisa G, Powell, Elizabeth E, Valery, Patricia C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 16.10.2023
• Subjects: Encephalitis, viral; Liver cirrhosis; Liver diseases
• ISSN: 0025-729X; 1326-5377
• DOI: 10.5694/mja2.52104

Objective To determine the incidence of decompensated cirrhosis and associated risk factors in people hospitalised with non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) with or without cirrhosis. Design Retrospective cohort study; analysis of linked Queensland Hospital Admitted Patient Data Collection, Queensland Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, and Queensland Cancer Register data. Setting, participants Queensland residents aged 20 years or older admitted to Queensland hospitals with NAFLD/NASH during 1 July 2009 – 31 December 2018. Main outcome measures Progression to decompensated cirrhosis (ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, or oesophageal variceal bleeding). Results We included data for 8006 patients in our analysis (10 082 admissions), including 4632 women (58%) and 2514 people with diabetes mellitus (31%); median follow‐up time was 4.6 years (interquartile range, 2.7–7.2 years). Three hundred and fifty‐one people (4.4%) experienced decompensated cirrhosis during the follow‐up period. Of the 6900 people without cirrhosis, 4.5% (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.6–5.7%) experienced decompensated cirrhosis within ten years (mean, 0.5% per year; 95% CI, 0.4–0.6% per year); risk of progression was greater for people aged 70 years or older (v 20–39 years: adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 4.7; 95% CI, 2.0–11.0) and those who had extrahepatic cancers (aHR, 5.0; 95% CI, 3.0–8.2), history of major cardiovascular events (aHR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.2–3.1), or diabetes mellitus (aHR, 2.8; 95% CI, 2.0–3.9). Of the 1106 people with cirrhosis, 32.4% (95% CI, 27.2–38.3%) experienced decompensated cirrhosis within ten years (mean, 5.5% per year; 95% CI, 4.8–6.3% per year); risk of progression was greater for those with portal hypertension (aHR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.3–2.7), extrahepatic cancer (aHR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.1–2.9), or diabetes mellitus (aHR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.1–2.0). Compared with people who had neither cirrhosis nor diabetes mellitus, the risk of decompensation was greater for people with cirrhosis (aHR, 10.7; 95% CI, 7.6–15.0) or cirrhosis and diabetes mellitus (aHR, 14.4; 95% CI, 10.1–20.6). Conclusions Given the greater risk of progression to cirrhosis decompensation in people with diabetes mellitus, a disorder common in people with NAFLD/NASH, identifying advanced fibrosis and providing appropriate treatment for averting disease progression is vital.