A study presented at the AASLD Liver Meeting assessed the impact of diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension on primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and found an association between diabetes and worse liver-related adverse outcomes.
Researchers retrospectively assessed 144 patients (92% female; average age at diagnosis, 52.1 years) with PBC from a large tertiary health center; the study included patients with metabolic dysfunction associated liver disease but not those with overlap syndrome and other chronic liver disease. Researchers assessed cardiometabolic risk factors at the time of diagnosis, including obesity, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes.
Body mass index (BMI) was:
- >25 kg/m2 in 76% of patients;
- >30 kg/m2 in 43%; and
- >35 kg/m2 in 19%.
The prevalence of diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension was 21%, 85%, and 39%, respectively. Overall, 21% of patients (n=30) experienced a liver-related adverse outcome, and those with diabetes had worse liver-related adverse outcomes (odds ratio, 3.40; P=.016).
However, the researchers did not observe a statistically significant association between higher BMI, hyperlipidemia, or hypertension and poor liver-related outcomes.
Interestingly, these findings contrast previous studies that observed better survival and lower hepatic decompensation rates in patients with PBC and hyperlipidemia and higher mortality rates in patients with hypertension and diabetes comorbid with PBC.
“Larger studies are needed to reach a clear conclusion,” the researchers concluded.
Reference
Thussu S, Zouridis S, Qureshi K. Diabetes is associated with poor liver related outcomes in patients with primary biliary cholangitis. Abstract 4314. Presented at the 2024 American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases’ 75th Liver Meeting; November. 15–19, 2024; San Diego.
