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World J Gastroenterol. Apr 7, 2026; 32(13): 114657
Published online Apr 7, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v32.i13.114657
Published online Apr 7, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v32.i13.114657
Outcomes of liver and cardiovascular metabolic diseases among lean vs non-lean individuals with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease
Mexan Mapouka, Milkessa Gurmessa, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center, Largo, MD 20774, United States
Evariste Pabingui, Service de Médecine Interne et de Cardiologie, Centre Hospitalo-Univer
Nkengeh N Tazinkeng, Department of Internal Medicine, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, Newark, NJ 07112, United States
Ulrich Vickos, Faculté des Sciences de la Santé, Université de Bangui, Bangui 1450, Central African Republic
Nkafu Bechem Ndemazie, Department of Internal Medicine, Richmond University Medical Center, New York, NY 10310, United States
Serge Magloire Camengo Police, Service d’Hepato-Gastroenterologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de l’Hôpital De L’amitié, Sino-Centrafricaine, Bangui 1335, Central African Republic
Author contributions: Mapouka M designed the study, performed data cleaning and statistical analysis, and wrote the abstract, methodology, result and conclusion sections; Tazinkeng NN edited the final version of the manuscript and improved the paper based on reviewer feedback; Ndemazie NB wrote the introduction; Pabingui E and Vickos U performed the literature search and collected eligible articles; Camengo Police SM, Gurmessa M, Pabingui E, and Vickos U edited the paper. MM approved the final version to publish.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
PRISMA 2009 Checklist statement: The authors have read the PRISMA 2009 Checklist, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the PRISMA 2009 Checklist.
Corresponding author: Mexan Mapouka, MD, MPH Department of Internal Medicine, Uni
Received: September 25, 2025
Revised: December 4, 2025
Accepted: February 13, 2026
Published online: April 7, 2026
Processing time: 183 Days and 15.9 Hours
Revised: December 4, 2025
Accepted: February 13, 2026
Published online: April 7, 2026
Processing time: 183 Days and 15.9 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease affects both lean and non-lean individuals. This meta-analysis of over 10 million participants found that non-lean patients had greater odds of hepatic steatosis, fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hypertension. Lean patients, however, showed similar risks of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, cardiovascular disease, and mortality. These results support expanding metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease screening and risk assessment beyond obesity-related criteria.