Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the care and outcomes of people with NAFLD-related cirrhosis
Jesús Rivera‐Esteban, Ramiro Manzano-Núñez, Teresa Broquetas, Isabel Serra-Matamala, Octavi Bassegoda, Agnès Soriano-Varela, Gemma Espín, Joaquín Castillo‐Iturra, Juan Bañares, J.A. Carrión, Pere Ginès, Isabel Graupera, Juan M. Pericàs
Abstract
Background & Aims: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major negative impact on health systems and many chronic diseases globally. We aimed to evaluate the impact of the first year of the pandemic on the outcomes of people with NAFLD cirrhosis. Methods: Pandemic (March/2020-February/2021). The primary outcome was the rate of first liver-related event (LRE). Overall clinical outcomes (LREs plus cardiovascular plus all-cause mortality) were also assessed. Results: 0.009) were identified as risk factors in the multivariable analysis. Conclusion: Overall, people with NAFLD cirrhosis did not present poorer liver-related outcomes during the first year of the pandemic. Health system preparedness seems key to ensure that people with NAFLD cirrhosis receive appropriate care during health crises. Lay summary: ., weight gain, poor control of diabetes) in a large proportion of the population in many countries. We aimed to analyze whether people with cirrhosis due to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, who are particularly vulnerable to such lifestyle modifications, were significantly impacted during the first year of the pandemic. We compared the clinical situation of 354 patients one year before the pandemic and one year after. We found that although metabolic control was indeed worse after the first year of the pandemic and patients presented worse clinical outcomes, the latter was mostly due to non-liver causes, namely COVID-19 itself. Moreover, the care provided to these patients did not worsen during the first year of the pandemic.