Dynamics of Cardiometabolic Risk Factors Are Linked to the Risk of Hypertension and Diabetes in MASLD.

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRF) on the prevalence and incidence of hypertension (HTN) and diabetes mellitus (DM) in individuals with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and nonsteatotic liver disease (non-SLD), using both cross-sectional and longitudinal data. A total of 32,569 Taiwanese adults without viral hepatitis or significant alcohol consumption who underwent health checkups from 1999 to 2013 were analyzed cross-sectionally. Among them, 27,109 individuals free of HTN and DM at baseline and within 1 year of enrollment were followed longitudinally. Participants were classified into four groups based on hepatic steatosis assessed by ultrasound and presence of CMRF: healthy control (non-SLD/CMRF-), simple SLD (SLD/CMRF-), non-SLD/CMRF+, and MASLD. MASLD patients exhibited markedly higher annual incidence rates of HTN and DM (19.7 and 6.3 per 1000 person-years) compared to non-SLD individuals (HTN: 9.0; DM: 0.6 per 1000 person-years). The risk of incident HTN and DM increased progressively with the number of CMRF, with adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) ranging from 2.02 to 15.53 for HTN and from 2.92 to 82.38 for DM. Regression of cardiometabolic dysfunction decreased the risk of HTN and/or DM, and vice versa. The presence of CMRF significantly increased the likelihood of developing HTN and DM in both SLD and non-SLD groups, with aHRs up to 7.48 for HTN and 15.38 for DM. In conclusion, MASLD is strongly associated with increased prevalence and incidence of HTN and DM, and the burden and trajectory of CMRF critically modulate these risks.