Wang Yichen, Huang Xiaoquan, Ye Sitao, Li Tian, Huang Yuting, Cheryala Mahesh, Chen Shiyao
Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, PA 19104, USA.
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
Chin Med J (Engl). 2025 Apr 25. doi: 10.1097/CM9.0000000000003517.
Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a common liver disease and may become the leading cause of severe liver disease in the future. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study assesses MAFLD's impact in countries and regions worldwide, providing insights into its prevalence.
Prevalence data for MAFLD from 1990 to 2021 by country and region in all sex and age groups were collected from the Global Health Data Exchange. The categorization of countries and geographic areas by development was performed using the Sociodemographic Index (SDI).
Between 1990 and 2021, the global crude prevalence rate of MAFLD increased from 10.6% to 16.1% (beta-coefficient: 0.2%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.2-0.2%, P <0.001), and the age-standardized prevalence rate was increased from 12.1% to 15.0% (beta-coefficient: 0.1%, 95% CI: 0.1-0.1%, P <0.001). In 2021, MAFLD was estimated to have affected 1.3 billion people worldwide. Significant uptrends were observed in all regions, super regions, and SDI categories. The fastest increase from 1990 to 2021 and the highest prevalence rate in 2021 were experienced by countries and territories with high-middle and middle SDI. An increase in the prevalence of MAFLD from 1990 to 2021 was demonstrated in all but six countries.
In 2021, the number of patients affected by MAFLD was doubled compared to 1990, and the prevalence rate increased by over 50%. The burden of MAFLD, as measured by prevalence, was more prominent in countries and territories with middle SDI and in those located in North African and Middle Eastern, possibly due to changes in lifestyle in these areas over the past 30 years.
代谢相关脂肪性肝病（MAFLD）是一种常见的肝脏疾病，未来可能成为严重肝脏疾病的主要原因。全球疾病负担（GBD）研究评估了MAFLD在全球各国和地区的影响，为其患病率提供了见解。
从全球卫生数据交换中心收集了1990年至2021年按国家和地区划分的所有性别和年龄组的MAFLD患病率数据。使用社会人口学指数（SDI）对国家和地理区域进行发展分类。
1990年至2021年期间，全球MAFLD的粗患病率从10.6%上升至16.1%（β系数：0.2%，95%置信区间[CI]：0.2 - 0.2%，P <0.001），年龄标准化患病率从12.1%上升至15.0%（β系数：0.1%，95%CI：0.1 - 0.1%，P <0.001）。2021年，估计全球有13亿人受MAFLD影响。在所有区域、超级区域和SDI类别中均观察到显著的上升趋势。中高和中等SDI的国家和地区在1990年至202中增长最快，2021年患病率最高。除六个国家外，所有国家在1990年至2021年期间MAFLD患病率均呈上升趋势。
2021年，受MAFLD影响的患者数量相比1990年增加了一倍，患病率上升超过50%。以患病率衡量，MAFLD的负担在中等SDI的国家和地区以及北非和中东地区更为突出，这可能是由于过去30年这些地区生活方式的改变。
