LINKÖPING, Sweden, June 17, 2025 – A newly-published study, led by Mattias Ekstedt’s ectopic fat study group at the Department of Health, Medicine and Caring Sciences at Linköping University (LiU), utilized AMRA’s MRI-based measures to find that six out of ten patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) had metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD).
As the T2D and obesity epidemics continue to gain prevalence in parallel, recognizing related, more serious conditions such as advanced liver disease is critical. This prospective study, published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, investigated the prevalence and severity of MASLD and advanced fibrosis in 308 patients with T2D attending annual check-ups at their primary health care center.
The investigators found that 59% of participants with T2D had MASLD, and 7% had suspected advanced fibrosis. Obesity was identified as a key risk factor of fibrotic MASLD; people with obesity were eight times more likely to show signs of advanced liver scarring. Participants with MASLD also had changes in heart function and body fat accumulation patterns. The presence of adverse muscle composition, defined as low muscle volume z-score and high muscle fat, was reported to be 16% in this patient group, compared to 11% in the general population.
These findings demonstrate that while MASLD is prevalent in primary care subjects with T2D, advanced liver disease is relatively rare in this setting; though, obesity significantly increases the risk of severe outcomes—including potential implications for cardiovascular health. To deepen understanding of liver disease trajectories in this population beyond the snapshot provided in the present study, the research team has also initiated 5-year follow-up acquisitions.
You can read the full study, titled “Evaluating the prevalence and severity of MASLD in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in primary care”, here. https://doi.org/10.1111/joim.20103
Read LiU’s exciting press release spotlighting this study and its findings here! https://liu.se/en/news-item/fettlever-men-inte-leverskada-vanligt-vid-typ-2-diabetes
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