Naimimohasses, Sara and O'Gorman, Philip and McCormick, Emma and Ferguson, Damien and Monaghan, Ann and McGrath, Marie and Robinson, Mark W. and Gormley, John and Norris, Suzanne (2022) Prevalence of frailty in patients with non-cirrhotic non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. BMJ Open Gastroenterology, 9 (000861). pp. 1-8. ISSN 2054-4774

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Abstract

Objective: End-stage chronic liver disease is associated with accelerated ageing and increased frailty. Frailty measures have provided clinical utility in identifying patients at increased risk of poor health outcomes, including those awaiting liver transplantation. However, there is limited data on the prevalence and severity of frailty in patients with non-cirrhotic non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of frailty and prefrailty in patients with non-cirrhotic NAFLD and correlate with severity of liver disease. Design: A cross-sectional analysis of functional and laboratory frailty assessments, including the Fried frailty index (FFI), a self-reported frailty index (SRFI) and a lab-based frailty index (FI-LAB), was performed in a cohort of 109 patients with NAFLD, and results compared with fibrosis staging based on transient elastography. Results: Patients with NAFLD had a high prevalence of prefrailty and frailty, with a median SRFI score of 0.18 (IQR: 0.18), FFI of 1 (IQR: 1) and FI-LAB of 0.18 (IQR: 0.12). Using the SRFI, 45% of F0/F1 patients were classified as prefrail and 20% were classified as frail, while in F2/F3 patients this increased to 36% and 41%, respectively. SRFI, 30 s sit-to-stand and FI-LAB scores increased with increasing liver fibrosis stages (p=0.001, 0.006 and <0.001, respectively). On multivariate linear regression, female gender was identified as a significant predictor of elevated frailty scores. Conclusion: This study identifies a high prevalence of frailty in individuals with non-cirrhotic NAFLD. Addressing frailty through early rehabilitation interventions may reduce overall morbidity and mortality in this population.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	fatty liver; fibrosis; nonalcoholic steatohepatitis; obesity;
Academic Unit:	Faculty of Science and Engineering > Biology Faculty of Science and Engineering > Research Institutes > Human Health Institute
Item ID:	18593
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgast-2021-000861
Depositing User:	Mark Robinson
Date Deposited:	28 May 2024 15:36
Journal or Publication Title:	BMJ Open Gastroenterology
Publisher:	BMJ Publishing Group
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	Publisher
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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