New thesis lays the foundation for future research on risk prediction for MASLD
Hanne Åström from the Gastroenterology and Nutrition Unit (GUT), at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge (MedH), is defending her thesis with the title "Epidemiological aspects of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease", on 20 mars 2026. Main supervisor is Hannes Hagström.
What is the main focus of your thesis?
My thesis focuses on metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Persons with MASLD are at increased risk of liver-related complications, including primary liver cancer and decompensated liver cirrhosis. Identifying persons at risk of such complications is therefore important to guide clinical follow-up and interventions.
The main goal of the thesis was to improve the identification of persons at increased risk of liver-related complications. Specifically, the studies examined the performance of risk prediction tools, the accuracy of registry-based definitions of MASLD used in epidemiological research, and how common comorbidities such as depression and kidney disease influence liver-related prognosis.
Which are the most important results?
We found that a proposed risk prediction score for primary liver cancer had limited ability to identify persons at low risk, suggesting that its clinical utility for guiding decisions on follow-up and surveillance may be limited.
Furthermore, we found that persons with MASLD had an increased risk of developing severe depression compared with the general population. However, we did not find clear evidence that severe depression increased the risk of liver-related complications among persons with MASLD.
Finally, we found that a commonly used first-line tool to assess liver-related risk performed less accurately in persons with reduced kidney function.
How can this new knowledge contribute to the improvement of people’s health?
These findings contribute to an improved understanding of how the risk of liver-related complications varies between persons. This knowledge sets the stage for future research and may ultimately contribute to more personalized care and more efficient use of healthcare resources.
What are your future ambitions?
My goal is to combine clinical work with research on the association between psychiatric well-being and liver disease. I hope that my continued research efforts can help highlight the importance of considering mental well-being in persons with liver disease and further support a holistic approach to clinical management.
Dissertation
Friday 20 mars, 09:00, Erna Möller room in Neo, Campus Flemingsberg
Thesis
Epidemiological aspects of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease