What does this research mean for the field?

Gastrointestinal functional disturbances are highly prevalent in patients with MAFLD and are independently associated with greater disease severity, advanced fibrosis, and reduced quality of life. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.INCREMENTAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

August 27, 2026BMC GastroenterologyOpen Access

Gastrointestinal functional disturbances in patients with Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease (MAFLD): a cross-sectional study

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

To evaluate the prevalence, spectrum, and clinical significance of gastrointestinal functional disturbances in patients with MAFLD, and determine their links to disease severity, fibrosis, and quality of life.
Single-center cross-sectional study of 268 adults with MAFLD conducted between October 2024 and October 2025.
Fatty liver severity was determined via ultrasound, fibrosis stage via liver stiffness measurement (LSM), and functional disturbances via standardized diagnostic criteria.
Multivariable logistic regression evaluated associations with disease severity and fibrosis, while linear regression assessed impacts on SF-36 General Health scores.
Gastrointestinal functional disturbances were identified in 46.6% of patients with MAFLD (125/268, 95% CI 40.6%–52.6%).
Higher risk of disturbances occurred in moderate MAFLD (OR = 1.68, 95% CI 1.01–2.79), severe MAFLD (OR = 2.54, 95% CI 1.36–4.73, P for trend = 0.002), and advanced fibrosis with LSM ≥ 12.4 kPa (OR = 2.21, 95% CI 1.02–4.78).
Patients with functional disturbances experienced significantly reduced SF-36 General Health scores (β = −9.15, 95% CI −12.84 to −5.46, P < 0.001) after adjusting for metabolic, pharmacological, and psychological variables.

Discussion

No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.

Implication

Cross-sectional study finds frequent gastrointestinal functional disturbances linked to severe fibrosis in adults with MAFLD, highlighting the need for integrated clinical care.

Cite This Study

Zheng et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a8fe94110c91c1e92620e77 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12876-026-05212-7

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

Implication

Cross-sectional study finds frequent gastrointestinal functional disturbances linked to severe fibrosis in adults with MAFLD, highlighting the need for integrated clinical care.

Gastrointestinal functional disturbances in patients with Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease (MAFLD): a cross-sectional study

Key Points

Discussion

Implication

Cite This Study

Gastrointestinal functional disturbances in patients with Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease (MAFLD): a cross-sectional study

Key Points

Discussion

Implication

Cite This Study

Also Consider

Also Consider