Metabolic Dysfunction and Alcohol-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease in Women: Epidemiology, Natural History, and Clinical Outcomes.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review synthesizing existing literature without systematic methodology or primary human data
PubMed 41985772 · doi:10.1016/j.cgh.2026.04.005
What was done
This review synthesized current literature on the epidemiology, natural history, pathogenesis, and clinical outcomes of metabolic dysfunction and alcohol-associated steatotic liver disease (MetALD) in women, focusing on reproductive stages (pregnancy, lactation, menopause), psychiatric comorbidities, and socioeconomic factors.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical data or effect sizes. Qualitatively, it highlights that women with MetALD exhibit heightened susceptibility to alcohol-related hepatotoxicity, faster progression to advanced liver disease, and poorer liver transplant outcomes compared to men.
Why it matters
It highlights sex-specific biological and social vulnerabilities in MetALD, emphasizing the need to integrate reproductive life stages and gender-specific risk factors into clinical management and research.
Limits
This is a narrative review with no primary empirical data, systematic search protocol, or quantitative synthesis reported in the abstract. Specific effect estimates and sample sizes across summarized studies cannot be determined from the record.
Cited by
- supports For most health outcomes, the physical damage per alcoholic drink is greater for women than for men, partly due to differences in body size and hormonal factors.