Hepatic disease, heart disease, associated...Half of Metabolic Fatty Liver Patients, Signs of Heart Failure
Aug 26, 2025
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Researchers at Duke University in the United States analyzed the health data of 570 patients diagnosed with metabolic abnormal fatty liver disease (MASLD, existing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) and published the results in the recent European Journal of Heart Failure.
Metabolic fatty liver disease is characterized by the accumulation of fat in the liver and metabolic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure, and in some patients, it is a serious disease that can even lead to cirrhosis or liver cancer.
According to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the number of MASLD patients in Korea rose about 43% from 280,000 in 2017 to over 400,000 in 2021.
Meanwhile, researchers at Duke University followed up 570 patients diagnosed with MASLD through liver biopsy between 2007 and 2013 for up to 11 years.
The median age was 49.5 years and 42.5% were male. At the time of diagnosis, less than 2% had heart failure, 40% had diabetes, 59% had hypertension, and 60% had hyperlipidemia. During the study period, 71 people died, of which 9 were liver related, 3 were cardiovascular disease, 23 were of different causes, and 36 were not known for their exact cause of death.
Analysis revealed that approximately 20% of patients suffered heart failure during the follow-up period, and 47.9% showed signs of heart failure, although they were not formally diagnosed with heart disease. MASLD is asymptomatic and progresses for years to decades, and it has been shown that the liver is gradually damaged by scarring, preventing it from filtering out toxins and eventually leading to weakening of heart function. However, only 5% of the study subjects were diagnosed with heart failure.
In addition, 100 out of 570 patients during the follow-up period corresponded to heart failure by study criteria, but they were never formally diagnosed. In stage 4 patients with the most severe liver damage, more than a third were found to have heart failure at the end of the study. Old age, women, diabetes, and hypertension have been cited as major risk factors, especially in women, the risk has been shown to increase as estrogen, which protects liver function, decreases with age.
The researchers identified early signs of heart failure, including shortness of breath, leg and ankle swelling, irregular heartbeats, and dizziness, and blood tests and echocardiography also showed signs of decreased heart function. Nearly half of all patients showed these initial warning signs, but they rarely led to formal diagnosis.
Researchers have confirmed that the incidence of heart failure is high in patients with metabolic abnormal fatty liver disease"Even though nearly half of the patients suspected heart failure, few patients were officially diagnosed" he said. He added that "If the screening test for heart failure in high-risk patients and treatment to resolve initial heart failure are performed, the mortality rate from heart failure can be reduced.'
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
