Photo Credit: Mi-viri

According to a study in Obesity Surgery, surgical weight loss in patients with obesity and concomitant MASH, can reduce disease progression, potentially lowering the need for liver transplantation and improving access when needed. Armaun D. Rouhi and colleagues created a predictive model of 20,000 patients with obesity and MASH, ineligible to receive a liver transplantation unless they achieved a BMI of 35 kg/m² or less. The model showed that those who underwent sleeve gastrectomy gained 14.3 years of life compared to those receiving medical weight management. Following sleeve gastrectomy, only 5% of patients in the model required liver transplantation, compared with 9% who had medical weight loss. Patients with a BMI above 32.2 kg/m² had the greatest survival benefit from sleeve gastrectomy. These findings suggest that surgical weight loss procedures like sleeve gastrectomy could be a valuable intervention in managing MASH and reducing its burden on healthcare systems.