Research

Hormonal

In patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), older age, obesity, and diabetes mellitus are independent predictors of severe liver fibrosis (bridging fibrosis or cirrhosis).

If you have NASH, your risk of severe liver scarring is highest if you are older, obese, or have diabetes. Focus on managing blood sugar and achieving a healthy weight, as these factors drive the scarring process more than the amount of fat in the liver itself. Regular monitoring via biopsy or advanced testing is recommended for this high-risk group.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
In multivariate analysis, older age (P < .001), obesity (P < .002), diabetes mellitus (P < .009), and aspartate transaminase/alanine transaminase (AST/ALT) ratio greater than 1 (P < .03) were significant predictors of severe liver fibrosis (bridging/cirrhosis).
Paul Angulo et al. · Hepatology · 1999

Why this rating

Large sample size (n=144) and multivariate analysis controlling for confounders, but observational design.

Source

Independent predictors of liver fibrosis in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis

Paul Angulo et al. · Hepatology · 1999

DOI 10.1002/hep.510300604

cohort · n=144Cited 1,609×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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