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Diabetes mellitus in alcohol-associated liver disease: Prevalence and outcomes

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Steven MassonORCiD

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND).

Abstract

© 2025 The Author(s).Background: Alcohol associated liver disease (ALD) is a common condition that is a significant global cause of morbidity and mortality. Diabetes mellitus (DM) increases the risk of adverse outcomes in other types of steatotic liver disease. This retrospective study sought to explore the relationship between ALD and DM. Methods: The Worldwide Alcohol-related Liver Disease Outcomes (WALDO) study is an international multicenter cohort of patients with biopsy-proven ALD. The presence of DM at baseline or during follow-up was noted. Clinical events after index biopsy were noted, including death and liver-associated clinical events (LACE). Risks for adverse outcomes were assessed with Cox proportional hazard models with DM as a time-dependent variable to reflect periods of time without or with diabetes. All analyses were done in R. Results: In total, 712 patients with a median age of 52 years were followed up for a median of 4.8 years (IQR: 1.2-9.5). At baseline, DM was present in 113 patients (15.9%), and a further 56 patients (7.8%) developed DM in follow-up. During follow-up, 113 patients developed LACE. One hundred fifty-two patients died from liver disease, and 46 underwent liver transplantation. DM was significantly associated with liver-related mortality (HR: 1.77, 1.15-2.73, p=0.009) and incident LACE (HR: 1.90, 1.23-2.95, p=0.004). In multivariable analysis, DM remained significantly associated with liver-related mortality (HR=1.79, 1.30-2.48, p<0.001). Conclusions: DM is a frequent comorbidity in persons with ALD and is associated with a higher risk of liver-related mortality. Patients' diabetic status should be an important consideration for clinicians treating people with ALD.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Ward B, Theodoreson M, Aithal G, Allison M, Brahmania M, Forrest E, Hagstrom H, Masson S, McCune A, Naik K, Rajoriya N, Rowe IA, Parker R

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Hepatology Communications

Year: 2025

Volume: 9

Issue: 8

Print publication date: 01/08/2025

Acceptance date: 22/03/2025

Date deposited: 28/07/2025

ISSN (print): 2471-254x

ISSN (electronic): 2471-254x

Publisher: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins

URL: https://doi.org/10.1097/HC9.0000000000000734

DOI: 10.1097/HC9.0000000000000734

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