Inborn and acquired risk factors for severe liver disease in Europeans with type 2 diabetes from the UK Biobank
Federica Tavaglione, Antonio De Vincentis, Oveis Jamialahmadi, Roberta Pujia, Rocco Spagnuolo, Antonio Picardi, Susanna Morano, Luca Valenti, Stefano Romeo, Umberto Vespasiani‐Gentilucci
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Type 2 diabetes is a major driver of fatty liver disease and its long-term complications. The aim of this study was to investigate the individual contribution of inborn and acquired risk factors for severe liver disease in individuals with type 2 diabetes from the UK Biobank study. METHODS: A total of 22,812 UK Biobank participants of European descent without clinical history of liver disease and liver cancer were prospectively followed for the development of severe liver disease, defined as a composite diagnosis of cirrhosis, decompensated liver disease, hepatocellular carcinoma, and/or liver transplantation from the National Health Service records. The contribution of inborn and acquired risk factors to the risk of incident severe liver disease was assessed by Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS: rs58542926 (aHR 1.63, 95% CI 1.12-2.39), while the net effect of male sex was protective (aHR 0.49, 95% CI 0.26-0.94). CONCLUSIONS: These findings may help in clinical care to identify individuals with type 2 diabetes at risk of severe liver disease, in turn leading to personalised risk prediction and prevention strategies. LAY SUMMARY: genes are the major independent risk factors for severe liver disease. These findings may contribute in clinical care to identify and closely monitor individuals with type 2 diabetes at risk of developing severe liver disease, requiring more intensive follow-up strategies.