Racial Disparities in Mortality Rates among Patients with Hepatic Steatosis, Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, and Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis
Insights from NHANES III Data
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2073631 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Shahrzad Bazargan-Hejazi (0000-0001-8361-5198, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, corresponding author), Cameron Hines (0009-0001-6922-0680, Neurobehavioral Systems), Myra Usmani (University of California, Riverside), Chris Argueta (0000-0003-1243-3949, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science), Deyu Pan (0000-0002-2218-2664, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science), Arleen F Brown (0000-0001-9948-8955, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 1083-1093 |
| Publication date | 2025-03-04 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2196-8837 • E-ISSN: 2197-3792 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s40615-025-02317-9 |
| PMID | 40035953 |
| OpenAlex | W4408151598 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 23 |
Background Insufficient research has been done on NASH-related cirrhosis mortality and potential racial disparities in mortality rates. Objective This study aims to analyze racial differences in mortality rates among patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL), and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), hypothesizing that hazard ratios for mortality among patients with NAFLD, NAFL, and NASH would be significantly different for Mexican American patients compared to other racial groups. Methods Data from NHANES III (1988-1994) representing the U.S. population were analyzed. Bivariate analysis and Cox proportional hazards models were employed to determine mortality rates and predictors across different racial/ethnic groups, adjusting for variables age, gender, smoking status (current, former, non-smoker), BMI (normal, overweight, obese), and a series of biomarkers. Results The prevalence of liver diseases in the sample was: NAFLD (12.1%), NAFL (20.0%), and NASH (3.1%). Deceased patients with NASH had the highest weighted mortality rate (50.6%), followed by NAFLD (39.1%) and NAFL (35.5%). Compared to White patients, Black and Mexican American patients exhibited lower mortality rates for NAFLD. Mexican American patients also had lower mortality rates for NFAL and NASH. White patients showed higher hazard ratios (HR) for NAFLD and NAFL compared to Black and Mexican-American patients. However, for NASH, there were no significant differences in HR between racial/ethnic groups. Conclusions Despite higher prevalence rates among Mexican American and Black patients, their mortality rates for NAFLD, NAFL, and NASH were comparable or lower than those for Whites. This highlights the need for further research to inform better management and treatment strategies
Alcoholic liver disease · Cirrhosis · Confidence interval · Disease · Environmental health · Fatty liver · Hazard ratio · Mortality rate · National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey · Population · Steatohepatitis · Demography · Liver Disease and Transplantation · Liver Disease Diagnosis and Treatment · Liver Diseases and Immunity · Medicine · Gastroenterology · Internal Medicine
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |