Author information
1Internal Medicine, Avalon University School of Medicine, Youngstown, USA.
2Internal Medicine, Dr. Pinnamaneni Siddhartha Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Foundation, Vijayawada, IND.
3Internal Medicine, Ross University School of Medicine, Miramar, USA.
4General Surgery, Narayana Medical College, Nellore, IND.
5Internal Medicine, United Health Services Hospitals, Johnson City, USA.
6Internal Medicine, State University of New York Upstate Medical University, Binghamton, USA.
7Internal Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria, EGY.
8Medicine, Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Lahore Medical College and Institute of Dentistry, Lahore, PAK.
9Neurology, Sheikh Zayed Medical College and Hospital, Rahim Yar Khan, PAK.
Abstract
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) encompasses a range of conditions, from fatty liver to cirrhosis. In response to evolving research and to better reflect the complex metabolic underpinnings, the term metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) has been proposed. The aim of this meta-analysis was to compare cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality between NAFLD and MAFLD patients. The present study was conducted following the Preferred Reporting of Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. We systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE, and the Web of Science to identify studies that compared cardiovascular outcomes in MAFLD and NAFLD from inception to July 31, 2023. Outcomes assessed in this meta-analysis included all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and cardiovascular events. A total of 11 studies were included in this meta-analysis. The risk of cardiovascular mortality was significantly higher in patients with MAFLD patients compared to NAFLD patients (risk ratio (RR): 1.48, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.11 to 1.98). The risk of all-cause mortality was higher in MAFLD patients compared to NAFLD, and the difference was statistically significant (RR: 2.80, 95% CI: 2.39 to 3.28). The risk of cardiovascular events was significantly higher in MAFLD patients compared to NAFLD (RR: 1.18, 95% CI: 0.86 to 1.61). The key findings underscore that individuals diagnosed with MAFLD face a notably higher risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and cardiovascular events when compared to those with NAFLD.