Milionis C, Ilias I, Koukkou E. Gestational diabetes mellitus may predispose to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease. World J Hepatol 2024; 16(5): 860-862 [PMID: 38818285 DOI: 10.4254/wjh.v16.i5.860]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Ioannis Ilias, MD, PhD, Director, Department of Endocrinology, Hippocration General Hospital, 63, Evrou Street, Athens GR-11527, Greece. iiliasmd@yahoo.com
Research Domain of This Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Article-Type of This Article
Letter to the Editor
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Hepatol. May 27, 2024; 16(5): 860-862 Published online May 27, 2024. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v16.i5.860
Gestational diabetes mellitus may predispose to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease
Charalampos Milionis, Ioannis Ilias, Eftychia Koukkou
Charalampos Milionis, Eftychia Koukkou, Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Elena Venizelou General Hospital, Athens 11521, Greece
Ioannis Ilias, Department of Endocrinology, Hippocration General Hospital, Athens GR-11527, Greece
Author contributions: Milionis C, Ilias I, and Koukkou E conceived and designed this work. Milionis C, Ilias I, and Koukkou E researched the literature; Milionis C, Ilias I, and Koukkou E wrote the manuscript; Milionis C, Ilias I, and Koukkou E have read and approved the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Ioannis Ilias, MD, PhD, Director, Department of Endocrinology, Hippocration General Hospital, 63, Evrou Street, Athens GR-11527, Greece. iiliasmd@yahoo.com
Received: January 29, 2024 Revised: February 29, 2024 Accepted: April 9, 2024 Published online: May 27, 2024 Processing time: 113 Days and 14.9 Hours
Abstract
The development of type 2 diabetes mellitus is a major contributing factor to the worldwide health burden of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Insulin resistance, subclinical inflammation, dyslipidemia, obesity, and hypertension are all factors in this reciprocal interaction that contribute to the development of MASLD, which includes hepatocellular carcinoma, advanced fibrosis/cirrhosis, and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). A new risk factor for MASLD/NASH that affects the course of the disease independently throughout life is gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Women with a history of GDM had a higher chance of developing NASH, according to a recent study that used a large-scale database. Although the precise etiology is yet unknown, temporary disruption of pancreatic beta cell activity during pregnancy may set off systemic inflammation, affecting distant organs including the liver. Early screening and management strategies are crucial in mitigating MASLD progression and preventing adverse cardiovascular events in affected individuals.
Core Tip: A recent large-scale study inculpates gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) as a novel risk factor for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). The impact of GDM on disease progression is exerted throughout life. Early screening and management strategies are crucial in mitigating MASLD progression and preventing adverse cardiovascular events in affected individuals.
