First-degree relatives of NAFLD patients are at risk of liver disease: Research

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a catch-all name for a variety of liver disorders affecting persons who use little to no alcohol, affects around one-fourth of the global population. NAFLD can cause cirrhosis, liver cancer, and liver failure.

According to a new study from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, first-degree relatives of persons with NAFLD who have severe fibrosis are 15% more likely to get the illness themselves. The findings emphasise the need of early screening of both siblings and offspring of NAFLD patients. They were published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation’s online version.

“Until now, first-degree relatives accompanying their loved ones with liver disease for medical treatment didn’t know they were at a greater risk of developing advanced fibrosis themselves,” said Rohit Loomba, MD, the study’s first author, professor in the Division of Gastroenterology at UC San Diego School of Medicine and director of hepatology at UC San Diego Health.

“Liver disease is a silent killer. Most people don’t know they have a liver problem until it’s advanced and they develop cirrhosis because there are no obvious symptoms.” According to Loomba, the study’s findings could play a key role in early detection.

“Our goal and mission are to identify patients who have more advanced liver problems earlier, and non-invasively, to prevent the progression to cirrhosis,” said Loomba, director of UC San Diego School of Medicine’s NAFLD Research Center.

The complicated metabolic disease NAFLD involves risk factors from both the environment and the genes. Recent study has revealed that severe fibrosis may cluster among the same families and that NAFLD and NAFLD-related liver fibrosis are hereditary.

The study included nearly 400 first-degree relatives from two different cohorts in the United States and Finland. To evaluate liver fibrosis, magnetic resonance elastography and other noninvasive imaging techniques were utilised.
The findings have given scientists the information they need to recommend regular testing for advanced fibrosis among first-degree relatives of cirrhotic or advanced fibrotic patients.

“Siblings and offspring of patients should be evaluated around age 40 or 50,” said Loomba. “Our findings could change the standard of care for this high-risk population.”
Loomba added that educating first-degree relatives about risk factors, including excessive drinking, weight gain and a sedentary lifestyle are also crucial.

“Many genes associated with liver disease change depending on a person’s lifestyle and diet. That suggests that first-degree relatives who are aware of the risk and ready to make lifestyle changes can assist avoid the development of advanced fibrosis “Loomba said. “When patients are aware of their risk, they are more inclined to adjust their behaviour and lifestyle.”
Loomba anticipates that the next step will be to find genetic markers within families that enhance the incidence of NAFLD in order to diagnose and treat individuals early.