Association Between Mental Health and Metabolic Dysfunction–Associated Fatty Liver Disease

Depression has recently been identified as a potential predisposing factor for metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) among adults in the US. This cross-sectional, nationwide study examined the association between mental health and MAFLD in Korean adults. Mental state was addressed using a question for suicidal ideation and depressive mood, and MAFLD was assessed according to the criteria established by an international expert panel. A stepwise multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that MAFLD was significantly more common in men with suicidal ideation and in women with depressive mood compared with their non- suicidal and non-depressed counterparts, respectively. These results warrant mental health screening among patients with MAFLD. Key Words: Depression, Metabolic diseases, Fatty liver disease, Suicidal ideation.