The risks of cardiovascular events and extra-hepatic cancers are relevant to all patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, rising with fibrosis severity, a comprehensive new study shows.

The research also shows the likelihood of liver-related complications is negligible in those with disease scoring F0-F1 but becomes clinically relevant with moderate to severe fibrosis.

The international team of researchers — including hepatologists from the University of Sydney — said their results could inform risk stratification in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) “to further refine follow-up and resource allocation”.

In a retrospective competitive risks analysis, the authors investigated the five-year risk of developing liver-related and extra-hepatic events in 2135 patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD.