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. 2021 Jan;36(1):204-207.
doi: 10.1111/jgh.15112. Epub 2020 Jun 5.

Metabolic associated fatty liver disease increases coronavirus disease 2019 disease severity in nondiabetic patients

Feng Gao  1 , Kenneth I Zheng  2 , Xiao-Bo Wang  3 , Hua-Dong Yan  4 , Qing-Feng Sun  5 , Ke-Hua Pan  6 , Ting-Yao Wang  7 , Yong-Ping Chen  2 , Jacob George  8 , Ming-Hua Zheng  2   9   10
Affiliations

Metabolic associated fatty liver disease increases coronavirus disease 2019 disease severity in nondiabetic patients

Feng Gao et al. J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2021 Jan.

Abstract

Background and aim: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has attracted increasing worldwide attention. While diabetes is known to aggravate COVID-19 severity, it is not known whether nondiabetic patients with metabolic dysfunction are also more prone to more severe disease. The association of metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) with COVID-19 severity in nondiabetic patients was investigated here.

Methods: The study cohort comprised 65 patients with (i.e. cases) and 65 patients without MAFLD (i.e. controls). Each case was randomly matched with one control by sex (1:1) and age (±5 years). The association between the presence of MAFLD (as exposure) and COVID-19 severity (as the outcome) was assessed by binary logistic regression analysis.

Results: In nondiabetic patients with COVID-19, the presence of MAFLD was associated with a four-fold increased risk of severe COVID-19; the risk increased with increasing numbers of metabolic risk factors. The association with COVID-19 severity persisted after adjusting for age, sex, and coexisting morbid conditions.

Conclusion: Health-care professionals caring for nondiabetic patients with COVID-19 should be cognizant of the increased likelihood of severe COVID-19 in patients with MAFLD.

Keywords: COVID-19; Metabolic associated fatty liver disease; Nondiabetes.

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