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Background: Data regarding the prevalence and phenotype of cognitive impairment in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are limited. Objective: We assessed the prevalence and nature of cognitive deficits in people with NAFLD and assessed whether liver fibrosis, an important determinant of outcomes in NAFLD, is associated with worse cognitive performance. Methods: We performed a prospective cross-sectional study. Patients with NAFLD underwent liver fibrosis assessment with transient elastography and the following assessments: Cognitive Change Index, Eight-Item Informant Interview to Differentiate Aging and Dementia Questionnaire (AD8), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), EncephalApp minimal hepatic encephalopathy test and a limited National Institutes of Health Toolbox battery (Flanker Inhibitory Control and Attention Test, Pattern Comparison Test and Auditory Verbal Learning Test). We used multiple linear regression models to examine the association between liver fibrosis and cognitive measures while adjusting for relevant covariates. Results: We included 69 participants with mean age 50.4 years (SD 14.4); 62% were women. The median liver stiffness was 5.0 kilopascals (IQR 4.0-6.9), and 25% had liver fibrosis (≥7.0 kilopascals). Cognitive deficits were common in people with NAFLD; 41% had subjective cognitive impairment, 13% had an AD8 >2, 32% had MoCA <26 and 12% had encephalopathy detected on the EncephalApp test. In adjusted models, people with liver fibrosis had modestly worse performance only on the Flanker Inhibitory Control and Attention Task (ß=-0.3; 95% CI -0.6 to -0.1). Conclusion: Cognitive deficits are common in people with NAFLD, among whom liver fibrosis was modestly associated with worse inhibitory control and attention.
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BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The measurement of the portosystemic pressure gradient (PSG) in patients with advanced liver disease is helpful to assess the severity of portal hypertension (PH) and predict adverse clinical outcomes. EUS-guided PSG (EUS-PSG) measurement is a novel tool to assess PSG in all patients with advanced liver disease. We sought to assess the safety, feasibility, and technical success of simultaneous EUS-PSG measurement and EUS-guided liver biopsy sampling using a single-center experience. METHODS: Patients with suspected liver disease or cirrhosis were enrolled prospectively from 2020 to 2021. EUS-PSG was measured by calculating the difference between the mean portal pressure and the mean hepatic vein pressure. PH was defined as PSG >5 mm Hg and clinically significant PH as PSG ≥10 mm Hg. The primary outcomes were procedural technical success rate and correlation of EUS-PSG with fibrosis stage obtained from concurrent EUS-guided liver biopsy sampling and the correlation of EUS-PSG with patients' imaging, clinical, and laboratory findings. The secondary outcome was occurrence of procedural adverse events (AEs). RESULTS: Twenty-four patients were included in the study. PSG measurement and EUS-guided liver biopsy sampling were successful in 23 patients (technical success rate of 96%) and 24 patients (100% success), respectively. Analysis revealed a significant association between both PSG and liver stiffness measured on transient elastography (P = .011) and fibrosis-4 score (P = .026). No significant correlation was found between the fibrosis stage on histology and measured PSG (P = .559). One mild AE of abdominal pain was noted. Additionally, EUS-PSG was predictive of clinically evident PH. CONCLUSIONS: Simultaneous EUS-PSG measurement and EUS-guided liver biopsy sampling were both feasible and safe and correlated with clinically evident PH and noninvasive markers of fibrosis.