The economic burden of MASH: comparison of healthcare resource utilization and costs in patients with probable MASH, without MASH, and with diagnosed MASH
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: BACKGROUND This retrospective study compared healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and costs between patients with probable metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) and those without MASH or those with diagnosed MASH in the United States.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Patients from Komodo Healthcare Map data (2017–2022) were divided into 3 groups: probable MASH (hepatic steatosis index > 36 or ICD-10-CM K76.0 plus ≥ 1 cardiometabolic risk factor), diagnosed MASH (ICD-10-CM K75.81), and without MASH (none of the aforementioned characteristics). Propensity score weighting adjusted for baseline differences. HCRU and costs were calculated for all-cause, major adverse liver outcomes (MALO), and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE).RESULTS Patients with probable MASH (n = 1 549 485) had higher all-cause, MALO-related, and MACE-related HCRU than those without MASH (n = 513 862). However, patients with probable MASH had lower HCRU than those with diagnosed MASH (n = 15 000). Associated costs per patient per year were higher in patients with probable MASH vs those without MASH (rate ratio, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.26–1.28), but lower than in patients with diagnosed MASH (rate ratio, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.67–0.72).CONCLUSIONS HCRU and costs were higher in patients with probable MASH than in patients without MASH. Results highlight the economic burden associated with probable MASH and the importance of early diagnosis.
Institutions: University of Alabama at Birmingham, University of Chicago
Language: English
Subfield: Epidemiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7166713113