Diabetes mellitus in alcohol-associated liver disease: prevalence and outcomes.
Ward, Ben Theodoreson, Mark Aithal, Guruprasad Allison, Michael Brahmania, Mayur Forrest, Ewan Hagström, Hannes Masson, Steven McCune, Anne Naik, Keval
Ward, Ben
Theodoreson, Mark
Aithal, Guruprasad
Allison, Michael
Brahmania, Mayur
Forrest, Ewan
Hagström, Hannes
Masson, Steven
McCune, Anne
Naik, Keval
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Publication date
2025-07-14
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Abstract
Background: Alcohol associated liver disease (ALD) is a common condition that is a significant global cause of morbidity and mortality. Diabetes mellitus (DM) increases the risk of adverse outcomes in other types of steatotic liver disease. This retrospective study sought to explore the relationship between ALD and DM.
Methods: The Worldwide Alcohol-related Liver Disease Outcomes (WALDO) study is an international multicenter cohort of patients with biopsy-proven ALD. The presence of DM at baseline or during follow-up was noted. Clinical events after index biopsy were noted, including death and liver-associated clinical events (LACE). Risks for adverse outcomes were assessed with Cox proportional hazard models with DM as a time-dependent variable to reflect periods of time without or with diabetes. All analyses were done in R.
Results: In total, 712 patients with a median age of 52 years were followed up for a median of 4.8 years (IQR: 1.2-9.5). At baseline, DM was present in 113 patients (15.9%), and a further 56 patients (7.8%) developed DM in follow-up. During follow-up, 113 patients developed LACE. One hundred fifty-two patients died from liver disease, and 46 underwent liver transplantation. DM was significantly associated with liver-related mortality (HR: 1.77, 1.15-2.73, p=0.009) and incident LACE (HR: 1.90, 1.23-2.95, p=0.004). In multivariable analysis, DM remained significantly associated with liver-related mortality (HR=1.79, 1.30-2.48, p<0.001).
Conclusions: DM is a frequent comorbidity in persons with ALD and is associated with a higher risk of liver-related mortality. Patients' diabetic status should be an important consideration for clinicians treating people with ALD.
Citation
Ward B, Theodoreson M, Aithal G, Allison M, Brahmania M, Forrest E, Hagström H, Masson S, McCune A, Naik K, Rajoriya N, Rowe IA, Parker R. Diabetes mellitus in alcohol-associated liver disease: Prevalence and outcomes. Hepatol Commun. 2025 Jul 14;9(8):e0734. doi: 10.1097/HC9.0000000000000734.
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Article