Kouvari M, Valenzuela-Vallejo L, Axarloglou E, Verrastro O, Papatheodoridis G, Mingrone G, George J, Mantzoros CS. Thyroid function, adipokines and mitokines in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis: A multi-centre biopsy-based observational study.
Liver Int 2024;
44:848-864. [PMID:
38263703 DOI:
10.1111/liv.15847]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2023] [Revised: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/07/2024] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS
Thyroid axis is currently under investigation as a therapeutic target in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Thyroid function was examined herein in the full spectrum of disease.
METHODS
Subjects were recruited and had liver biopsies in two Gastroenterology-Hepatology Clinics (Greece and Australia) and one Bariatric-Metabolic Surgery Clinic (Italy). The main working sample was n = 677 subjects with MASLD after excluding subjects with abnormal free thyroxine levels. Participants were classified according to thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) standard criteria: Subclinical hyperthyroidism (<0.4 uIU/mL); Euthyroidism with relatively low (0.4 to <2.5 uIU/mL); euthyroidism with relatively high (2.5-4.0 uIU/mL); subclinical hypothyroidism (>4 uIU/mL).
RESULTS
TSH as a continuous variable was positively associated with significant fibrosis (F ≥ 2), metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) and at-risk MASH. Subclinical hypothyroidism was associated with fibrosis F ≥ 2 (odds ratio [OR] = 3.47, 95% confident interval [CI] [1.50, 8.05], p = .02), MASH (OR = 3.44, 95% CI [1.48, 7.98] p = .001) and at-risk MASH (OR = 3.88, 95% CI [1.76, 8.55], p = .001), before and after controlling for adiposity, central obesity, and insulin resistance. When leptin, adiponectin, or growth differentiation factor-15 were examined as moderators, significance was lost. Sex-specific analysis revealed a strong association between TSH and the presence of significant fibrosis among women, eliminated only when adipokines/mitokines were adjusted for. Restricted cubic spline analysis revealed associations between TSH and liver outcomes (p-values < .01) with inflection points for fibrosis F ≥ 2 being 2.49, for MASH being 2.67 and for at-risk MASH being 6.96.
CONCLUSIONS
These observations provide support for studies on the administration of thyroid hormone in MASLD therapeutics for subclinical hypothyroidism and liver-specific thyroid receptor agonists for subjects across the TSH continuum.
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