Scientists have clarified the dangers of "fatty liver"

MASLD is the accumulation of extra fat in the liver caused by being overweight or obese. This disease usually goes unnoticed, so many people do not even realise they are ill.

Researchers studied data from more than 13,000 patients in Sweden from 2002 to 2020. It turned out that patients with fatty liver disease are more likely to die not only from liver disease itself, but also from other serious diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.

The risk of dying from liver disease is particularly high, increasing 27-fold, and the risk of dying from liver cancer 35-fold. However, patients were more likely to die from cardiovascular disease and other cancers, with a 54 per cent and 47 per cent higher risk, respectively.

There was also an increased risk of dying from infections, respiratory diseases, gastrointestinal and endocrine diseases. There was no increased risk of dying from mental illness.

It is important to remember that in fatty liver disease, you need to look at more than just the condition of the liver," emphasises one of the authors of the study, Professor Hannes Hagström. - These patients need early intervention by doctors from different specialities to prevent complications.

Fatty liver disease affects about one in five people in Sweden and one in four people worldwide. For this reason, doctors recommend regular check-ups for overweight people in order to detect the disease in time to prevent its consequences.

Details: Gabriel Issa et al. Cause-specific mortality in 13,099 patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease in Sweden, Journal of Hepatology (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2025.03.001