Integrating genetic and socioeconomic data to predict the progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Objectives

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the leading cause of chronic liver disease globally, with an estimated prevalence exceeding 25%. Variants in the PNPLA3 and HSD17B13 genes have been a focus of investigations surrounding the etiology and progression of NAFLD and are believed to contribute to a greater burden of disease experienced by Hispanic Americans. However, little is known about socioeconomic factors influencing NAFLD progression or its increased prevalence among Hispanics.

Materials and Methods

We cross-sectionally analyzed 264 patients to assess the role of genetic and socioeconomic variables in the development of advanced liver fibrosis in individuals at risk for NAFLD.

Results

Adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, and PNPLA3 genotype, lacking a college degree was associated with 3.3 times higher odds of advanced fibrosis (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.21–8.76, p = 0.019), an effect comparable to that of possessing the major PNPLA3 risk variant. Notably, the effect of PNPLA3 genotype on advanced fibrosis was attenuated to nonsignificance following adjustment for education and other socioeconomic markers. The effect of the protective HSD17B13 variant, moreover, diminished after adjustment for education (odds ratio [OR]: 0.39 [95% CI: 0.13–1.16, p = 0.092]), while lower education continued to predict advanced fibrosis following multivariable adjustment with an OR of 8.0 (95% CI: 1.91–33.86, p = 0.005).

Discussion

Adjusting for education attenuated the effects of genotype and Hispanic ethnicity on liver fibrosis, suggesting that social factors—rather than genes or ethnicity—may be driving disease severity within some populations. Findings reveal the importance of including socioenvironmental controls when considering the role of genetics or ethnicity in complex disease.