Clinical Characteristics of Metabolic Dysfunction Steatotic Liver Disease in Asian-American Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B

The aim of this project was to determine the prevalence of fatty liver among Asian-American patients with chronic hepatitis B in a real-world setting, and to characterize the demographic, body composition and clinical features of these patients. This was a retrospective cross-sectional study of 115 Asian-American CHB patients followed at two clinical liver disease community programs in Southern California. Patients underwent standardized interviews, physical exams, body composition analysis (InBody® scan), laboratory studies, and assessment of liver stiffness and fat by FibroScan®. The median BMI of the cohort was 24.4 kg/m2, CAP was 250 dB/m, and liver stiffness was 5.0 kPa. Patients whose BMI were > 23 kg/m2 showed a significant increase in hepatic steatosis, percent body fat, years lived in the US, prevalence and number of metabolic syndrome components (obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus). Asians who immigrate to the US at a younger age have an increased risk of elevated BMI and consequent risk of MASLD. Body composition and liver disease progression differences across BMI in our cohort support the need for population-specific anthropometric parameters and underscores a BMI of 23 kg/m2 as an important cutoff point in characterizing progressive liver disease in Asian-Americans with CHB. The increased risk of MASLD seen in our cohort may be due to the impact of acculturation.