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Sleep factors were associated with a higher risk of MAFLD and significant fibrosis

  • Sleep Breathing Physiology and Disorders • Original Article
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Abstract

Purpose

The relationships of sleep factors separately and jointly with metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) and significant fibrosis remain unclear. We intended to explore the relationships in the United States.

Methods

This cross-sectional study included 4477 individuals from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2017 to 2018. Information regarding each sleep factor (sleep duration, trouble sleeping, snoring, excessive daytime sleep, and sleep apnea symptoms) was obtained through questionnaires. MAFLD was diagnosed by transient elastography according to the consensus definitions. Multivariable logistic regression models were employed to explore relationships of sleep factors separately and jointly with MAFLD and significant fibrosis.

Results

Participants having a poor sleep pattern was associated with higher MAFLD and significant fibrosis risk, and poor sleep pattern was related to about threefold (OR, 3.67; 95% CI, 1.82–7.37) increased risk of MAFLD remarkably. When examining specific factors of sleep patterns individually, trouble sleeping (OR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.10–2.12), snoring (OR, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.40–3.19), excessive daytime sleep (OR, 1.57; 95% CI, 0.93–2.62), and sleep apnea symptoms (OR, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.13–3.10) were positively associated with the odds of MAFLD (all P < 0.05). However, sleep duration was not independently correlated with MAFLD or significant fibrosis. Sleep patterns showed similar relationships with MAFLD, regardless of all age, sex, physical activity, and shift work groups.

Conclusions

Poor sleep pattern was linked with a considerably higher risk of MAFLD and significant fibrosis.

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Data availability

The NHANES dataset we used are publicly available at https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes/index.htm.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Gastroenterology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, 99 Zhangzhidong Road, Wuhan, 430060, China

    Yaxin Li & Shiyun Tan

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  1. Yaxin Li
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  2. Shiyun Tan
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Contributions

Yaxin Li collected and analyzed the data and then drafted the manuscript. Shiyun Tan provided the idea and revised the manuscript. All authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shiyun Tan.

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Participants enrolled in the study had written informed consent. Because the data from NHANES was publicly available, the institutional review board exempted this analysis.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Li, Y., Tan, S. Sleep factors were associated with a higher risk of MAFLD and significant fibrosis. Sleep Breath (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-024-03017-0

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