Ezgi Ersoy Yesil1 2Department of Gastroenterology, Marmara University Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkiye
3Department of Gastroenterology, Istanbul Health and Technology University Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkiye
4Department of Nephrology, Kartal Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkiye
5Department of Nephrology, Kartal Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkiye
6Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Knappschaftskrankenhaus, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
Abstract
Background & Aim: Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is expected to be prevalent among kidney transplant recipients (KTR). In this study, we evaluated the prevalence of MAFLD among KTRs, a data that has not been investigated by any clinical study to date.
Matherials and Methods: We included a total of 52 KTRs and 53 age-, sex-, and BMI-matched individuals as control group through a prospective consecutive recruitment. We detected the presence of hepatic steatosis and liver fibrosis using controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) and liver stiffness measurement (LSM) defined by FibroScan.
Results: Among the KTRs, 18 (34.6%) had metabolic syndrome. The prevalence of MAFLD among the KTRs and controls was 42.3% and 51.9%, (p=0.375). The CAP and LSM values did not differ significantly between the KTRs and controls (p=0.222 and p=0.119). Among the KTRs, patients with MAFLD had significantly higher age, BMI, waist circumference, LDL, and total cholesterol levels (p<0.001, p=0.011, p=0.033, p=0.022, and p=0.029, respectively). In multivariable analysis, age was the only independent factor for MAFLD among the KTRs (OR: 1.120, CI 95%: 1.039-1.208).
Conclusion: MAFLD among KTRs did not show a significantly higher prevalence compared to the normal population. Further clinical studies with larger populations are needed.
