Hepatology communications
Enhanced liver fibrosis score is associated with cognitive performance during an 11-year follow-up period
By Vataja E, Sääksjärvi K, Lehtisalo J and 9 others.
Abstract
Introduction
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) has been associated with poorer cognitive performance and greater cognitive decline. However, the liver-brain axis and the role of liver health in cognitive decline are still poorly understood. Thus, using both cross-sectional and longitudinal designs, we aimed to study how liver fibrosis score (ELF), an indicator of liver fibrosis, is associated with cognitive performance.
Methods
This study was based on the Health 2000 Survey and its follow-up, the Health 2011 survey, which collected data from a nationally representative sample of the Finnish adult population. At baseline, verbal fluency, wordlist learning, delayed wordlist recall, and simple and multiple-choice reaction time tests were conducted. At follow-up, all tests except the reaction time tests were repeated. A global z-score was derived from the individual cognitive domains. Multivariable regression analysis was performed to study the association between ELF and cognitive performance while adjusting for demographic, metabolic, and cardiovascular covariates.