Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinics of North America

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects around 10% of women in the reproductive age group and is characterized by ovulatory dysfunction, hyperandrogenism, and/or polycystic ovarian morphology. PCOS is highly associated with metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) as both diseases share common risk factors. At the time of diagnosis of PCOS, screening for MAFLD is necessary because most patients with MAFLD are asymptomatic. The importance of early detection of MAFLD in patients with PCOS is that a timely intervention in patients with steatosis or steatohepatitis can reduce the probability of liver disease progression...

Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), the term proposed to substitute nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, comprises not only liver features but also potentially associated metabolic dysfunctions. Since experimental studies in mice and retrospective clinical studies in humans investigated the association between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease during pregnancy and the adverse clinical outcomes in mothers and offspring, it is plausible that MAFLD may cause similar or worse effects on mother and the offspring...

Obesity is considered a twentieth-century epidemic and is a growing concern among health professionals. Obesity and its complications contribute to multiple chronic illnesses, such as type 2 diabetes (T2D), metabolic syndrome, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), malignancy, and cardiovascular and liver diseases. In the last two decades, a bidirectional association between OSA and metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), independent of obesity, has been established. Both conditions have similar risk factors and metabolic comorbidities that may imply a common disease pathway...

The current evidence indicates a strong association between sarcopenia, the loss of muscle mass and strength, and metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). The two entities share many common pathophysiologic mechanisms, and their coexistence may result in higher rates of morbidity and mortality. Therefore, given their increasing incidence in the modern world, there is a need for a better understanding of the liver-muscle axis for early identification of sarcopenia in patients with MAFLD and vice versa...

As an important sequela of the burgeoning global obesity problem, metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) has gained increasing prominence recently. The gut-liver axis (GLA) provides a direct conduit to the liver for the gut microbiota and their metabolic by-products (including secondary bile acids, ethanol, and trimethylamine). These GLA-related factors, including the host inflammatory response and integrity of the gut mucosal wall, likely contribute to the pathogenesis of MAFLD. Accordingly, these GLA-related factors are targets for possible preventive and treatment strategies for MAFLD, and include probiotics, prebiotics, bile acids, short-chain fatty acids, fecal microbiota transplantation, carbon nanoparticles, and bacteriophages...

Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is the hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome and affects about 55% of people living with diabetes. MAFLD has been shown to be an individual risk factor for cardiovascular disease and its associated mortality. Although common, MAFLD is often underdiagnosed and not given adequate attention during clinical visits. This review highlights the most recent literature available on the evaluation and management of MAFLD in the presence of diabetes. The more recently available antidiabetic agents including glucagon-like peptide-1 analogs and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors have been shown to effectively manage both diabetes and MAFLD...

Both nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) have been associated with incident cardiovascular disease (CVD), independent of confounders. Causality has recently been inferred by Mendelian randomization studies. Although these findings have contributed to current guidelines that recommend screening for and treatment of cardiovascular risk factors, it not yet clear how to position NAFLD/MAFLD in cardiovascular risk estimation scores and, consequently, which treatment targets should be used...

Dyslipidemia has been linked metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). Several genes and transcription factors involved in lipid metabolism can increase susceptibility to MAFLD. Multiple parallel 'hits' have been proposed for developing hepatic steatosis, NASH, and MAFLD, including insulin resistance and subsequent free fatty acid excess, de novo lipogenesis, and excessive hepatic triglyceride and cholesterol deposition in the liver. This lead to defective beta-oxidation in the mitochondria and VLDL export and increased inflammation...

Since the nomenclature change from nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) to metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), much work has been undertaken to establish the clinical characteristics as well as the hepatic and extrahepatic complications of the different MAFLD subtypes. Currently, there has been significant work performed to evaluate previously acknowledged evidence in the lean NAFLD population to determine its applicability to the new entity. This article examines recently published data on lean MAFLD cohorts to highlight the prevalence, pathophysiological characteristics, associated liver fibrosis, genetics, hepatic and extrahepatic complications, prognosis, treatment, and research into this unique subtype of MAFLD...

Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) has become the most common cause for chronic liver disease among children and adolescents globally. Although liver biopsy remains the gold standard for diagnosis, emerging technology, like velocity controlled transient elastography, a noninvasive method, is being utilized to evaluate degree of fibrosis in these patients. The discovery of multiple gene polymorphisms has brought new hope for possible treatment targets. However, this research is still ongoing, making lifestyle changes and weight reduction the current mainstay of treatment...

Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), formerly known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, is highly associated with the metabolic syndrome. Given its high heterogeneity in patients along with unpredictable clinical outcomes, MAFLD is difficult to diagnose and manage. MAFLD is associated with obesity, diabetes, metabolic derangements, lipid disorders, cardiovascular disorders, sleep apnea, sarcopenia, gut dysbiosis, and sex hormone-related disorders. Identification of risk factors is imperative in understanding disease heterogeneity and clinical presentation to reliably diagnose and manage patients...

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The number of older adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D) is increasing due to an overall increase in life expectancy and improvement in diabetes management and treatment of complications. They are a heterogeneous cohort due to the dynamic process of aging and the presence of comorbidities and diabetes-related complications. A high risk for hypoglycemia unawareness and severe hypoglycemia has been described. Periodic assessment of health status and adjustment of glycemic goals to mitigate hypoglycemia is imperative...

Diabetes prevention programs (DPPs) have been shown to effectively delay, and sometimes prevent, the progression from prediabetes to diabetes; however, labeling someone with prediabetes comes with potential negative psychological, financial, and self-perception consequences. Many older adults with prediabetes nowadays have a relatively "low-risk" form of prediabetes that rarely progresses to diabetes and may regress to normoglycemia. In this article, we review the impact of aging on glucose metabolism and provide a holistic approach to cases of prediabetes in older adults that maximizes the benefit-risk balance of interventions aimed at addressing prediabetes...

Diabetes is prevalent in older adults and older adults with diabetes are more likely to have multiple comorbidities. It is, therefore, important to personalize diabetes management in this group. Newer glucose-lowering drugs, including dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors, and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists can be safely used in older patients and are preferred choices in many cases due to their safety, efficacy, and low risk of hypoglycemia.

Over one-quarter of adults ≥65 years old have diabetes in the United States. Guidelines recommend individualization of glycemic targets in older adults with diabetes as well as implementing treatment strategies that minimize risk for hypoglycemia. Patient-centered management decisions should be informed by comorbidities, the individual's capacity for self-care, and the presence of key geriatric syndromes that may impact self-management and patient safety. Key geriatric syndromes include cognitive impairment, depression, functional impairments (eg, vision, hearing, and mobility challenges), falls and fractures, polypharmacy, and urinary incontinence...

The obesity epidemic in aging populations poses significant public health concerns for greater morbidity and mortality risk. Age-related increased adiposity is multifactorial and often associated with reduced lean body mass. The criteria used to define obesity by body mass index in younger adults may not appropriately reflect age-related body composition changes. No consensus has been reached on the definition of sarcopenic obesity in older adults. Lifestyle interventions are generally recommended as initial therapy; however, these approaches have limitations in older adults...

Taste is one of our five primary senses, and taste impairment has been shown to increase with aging. The ability to taste allows us to enjoy the food we eat and to avoid foods that are potentially spoiled or poisonous. Recent advances in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of taste receptor cells located within taste buds help us decipher how taste works. The discoveries of "classic" endocrine hormones in taste receptor cells point toward taste buds being actual endocrine organs. A better understanding of how taste works may help in reversing taste impairment associated with aging...

Deficits in renal function, thirst, and responses to osmotic and volume stimulation have been repeatedly demonstrated in older populations. The lessons learned over the past six decades serve to emphasize the fragile nature of water balance characteristic of aging. Older individuals are at increased risk for disturbances of water homeostasis due to both intrinsic disease and iatrogenic causes. These disturbances have real-life clinical implications in terms of neurocognitive effects, falls, hospital readmission and need for long-term care, incidence of bone fracture, osteoporosis, and mortality...