Bariatric surgery reduces long-term mortality in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease and cirrhosis

Abstract

Background/Aims: With the obesity pandemic, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is the most common liver disease and a leading cause of end-stage liver disease and liver-related deaths in the USA. Therefore, we aimed to compare the long-term outcomes of patients with MASLD and cirrhosis with and without bariatric surgery. Methods: Patients were retrospectively identified from the California Department of Healthcare Access and Information database, 2005 to 2019, for a population-based cohort study. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to balance background risks between patients with cirrhosis who underwent bariatric surgery and those who did not. Overall, liver-related and non-liver-related mortality were analyzed. Results: Of 91,708 eligible patients with MASLD and cirrhosis, PSM yielded 2,107 patients who underwent bariatric surgery and 8,428 non-bariatric controls. Compared to matched controls, patients who underwent bariatric surgery had lower 5-year overall (24.9% vs. 37.1%; P<0.0001), liver-related (3.3% vs. 14%; P<0.0001), and non-liver-related mortality (22.3% vs. 26.9%; P=0.046). In multivariable analysis, bariatric surgery was associated with decreased overall mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]=0.63; P<0.0001), liver-related (aHR=0.24; P<0.0001), and non-liverrelated (aHR=0.81; P=0.0026) mortality. However, only laparoscopic surgeries were associated with lower overall mortality (aHR=0.39; P<0.0001) whereas open surgeries were associated with higher overall mortality (aHR=1.24; P=0.022). Conclusions: Patients with MASLD and cirrhosis who underwent bariatric surgery, specifically laparoscopic approaches, had significantly lower mortality risk than non-surgical counterparts.