Steatotic Liver Disease has Surpassed Viral Hepatitis as the Leading Cause of Cirrhosis in the US Veterans Health System
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: INTRODUCTION: Contemporary population-level estimates of the burden of cirrhosis using the revised steatotic liver disease (SLD) nomenclature are lacking. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study of patients with incident cirrhosis from 2008 to 2023 within the Veterans Health Administration. RESULTS: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) has become the leading contributor to cirrhosis incidence and prevalence. Although hepatitis C virus cirrhosis has declined, it remains highly prevalent. Incident MASLD cases are balanced by deaths, whereas incident metabolic and alcohol-associated liver disease and alcohol-associated liver disease cases exceeded deaths. DISCUSSION: Substantial epidemiologic shifts in cirrhosis in the United States over the past decade, driven by the rising burden of SLD, underscore the need for multidisciplinary strategies targeting metabolic risk factors and alcohol use.
Language: English
Subfield: Epidemiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
Awards: G1239477163, G1778191541, G2509944781, G9000338046, The role of immunosuppression and environmental exposures on incident and subsequent keratinocyte carcinoma risk after solid organ transplant, Improving Surgical Risk Prediction and Decision Making among Patients with Cirrhosis, Understanding Patient Preferences for Surgical Management in the Setting of Cirrhosis: A Mixed-Methods Approach, Impact of mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor therapy on aging-related outcomes
OpenAlex ID: W7130433151