Photo Credit: Moussa81
The following is a summary of “Cognitive impairment and liver fibrosis in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease,” published in the January 2024 issue of Neurology by Parikh et al.
Current knowledge on the prevalence and characteristics of cognitive impairment in individuals with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) remains scarce.
Researchers conducted a prospective study investigating the prevalence and characteristics of cognitive decline in individuals with NAFLD, exploring whether liver fibrosis severity influences cognitive performance.
They conducted a cross-sectional study where patients with NAFLD underwent liver fibrosis assessment using transient elastography. Assessments included the Cognitive Change Index, Eight-Item Informant Interview to Differentiate Aging and Dementia Questionnaire (AD8), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), EncephalApp minimal hepatic encephalopathy test, and a limited National Institutes of Health Toolbox battery (Flanker Inhibitory Control and Attention Test, Pattern Comparison Test, and Auditory Verbal Learning Test). Multiple linear regression explored liver fibrosis’s association with cognitive measures, adjusting for covariates.
The results showed 69 participants, with a mean age of 50.4 years (SD 14.4), 62% were women. The median liver stiffness was 5.0 kilopascals (IQR 4.0–6.9), and 25% had liver fibrosis (≥7.0 kilopascals). Cognitive deficits were prevalent in NAFLD; 41% reported subjective cognitive impairment, 13% had an AD8 score >2, 32% had a MoCA score <26, and 12% showed encephalopathy on the EncephalApp test. In adjusted models, individuals with liver fibrosis exhibited slightly poorer performance solely on the Flanker Inhibitory Control and Attention Task (β=−0.3; 95% CI −0.6 to –0.1).
They concluded that NAFLD was linked to common cognitive deficits, with liver fibrosis showing a slight association with poorer attention and inhibition.
Source: neurologyopen.bmj.com/content/6/1/e000543
