Metabolic dysfunction‐associated steatotic liver disease and sex‐specific risk of fatal and non‐fatal cardiovascular events: A meta‐analysis

AIMS: Since sex is a significant modifier of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), we performed a meta-analysis to estimate the sex-specific risk of fatal and non-fatal CVD events in adults with MASLD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We searched four major electronic databases from inception to November 2024 to identify observational cohort studies examining sex-specific associations between MASLD and the risk of fatal and/or non-fatal CVD events. The diagnosis of MASLD and its severity were assessed using serum biomarkers/scores, International Classification of Diseases codes, imaging or histology. Sensitivity analyses did not modify these findings. The funnel plot and Egger's test showed no significant publication bias. CONCLUSIONS: Women with MASLD are at higher risk of incident fatal and non-fatal CVD events compared with men, especially as the severity of MASLD increases. These findings emphasize the necessity for sex-specific CVD risk assessment and management strategies.