Skip to main content

Metabolic Dysfunction-Linked Steatotic Liver Disease Tied to Increased Preterm Birth Risk

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on May 20, 2025.

via HealthDay

TUESDAY, May 20, 2025 -- Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) in pregnant women is a risk factor for preterm birth, according to a study published online May 9 in eClinicalMedicine.

Carole A. Marxer, Ph.D., from Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, and colleagues conducted a nationwide study including 240 births among 162 women with biopsy-proven MASLD compared to 1,140 matched reference births in 1,138 women to assess the risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes.

The researchers found that preterm birth occurred in 16.7 and 4.7 percent of births of women with MASLD compared with reference births, which remained increased when compared with women with overweight/obesity without MASLD. The association was seen for medically indicated preterm birth and spontaneous preterm birth. There was no increase in the adjusted odds ratio of preterm birth with MASLD severity, but the 95 percent confidence intervals were wide. The odds of cesarean section were increased in association with MASLD but not when compared with reference women with overweight/obesity. Both groups had comparable Apgar scores and similar rates of congenital malformation, stillbirth, and neonatal death.

"This nationwide study of pregnant women with MASLD confirms that MASLD should be regarded as a high-risk obstetric condition, carrying significant implications for pregnancy care," the authors write. "Reassuringly, MASLD was not associated with abnormal birth weight parameters or other severe end points, such as neonatal death or stillbirth."

Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

Arsenic Less Than EPA Maximum Contaminant Level Tied to Adverse Birth Outcomes

THURSDAY, June 26, 2025 -- Arsenic measured in public water systems at levels below the current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's maximum contaminant level are associated...

Paternal Mental Distress Linked to Poorer Offspring Development

WEDNESDAY, June 25, 2025 -- Paternal mental distress is associated with poorer child development, according to a study published online June 16 in JAMA Pediatrics. Genevieve Le...

Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease Linked to Risk for Sudden Hearing Loss

FRIDAY, June 20, 2025 -- Among older adults, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is associated with increased risk for sudden sensorineural hearing...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.