The Bidirectional Relationship Between Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD): A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal Studies
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37275/bsm.v9i9.1391Keywords:
Intermittent hypoxia, MASLD, NAFLD, Obstructive sleep apnea, Systemic inflammationAbstract
Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) are highly prevalent, interconnected metabolic disorders. While their cross-sectional association is established, the temporal and potentially causal relationship remains unclear. This study aimed to quantitatively synthesize longitudinal evidence on the bidirectional risk between OSA and MASLD.
Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science (January 1st, 2015 - July 1st, 2025) for longitudinal cohort studies in adults assessing the OSA-MASLD relationship. Two reviewers independently selected studies, extracted data, and assessed quality using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). The primary analysis, pre-specified for studies using objective diagnostics (Polysomnography/Imaging), utilized a random-effects model to pool hazard ratios (HR). Heterogeneity was quantified with the I2 statistic.
Results: The search identified 2,148 articles, with six longitudinal studies (185,432 participants) meeting eligibility criteria. Four studies (116,298 participants) assessed incident MASLD, while two (69,134 participants) assessed incident OSA. The primary meta-analysis of two studies using objective diagnostics found that baseline OSA was associated with a significantly increased risk of incident MASLD (pooled HR: 2.29; 95% CI: 1.93-2.71; I2=35%). A secondary analysis including two studies using administrative codes yielded a pooled HR of 1.87 (95% CI: 1.51-2.32), though with substantial heterogeneity (I2=78%). For the reverse direction, a narrative synthesis of two studies suggests MASLD increases the risk of incident OSA; an exploratory pooled analysis yielded an HR of 1.65 (95% CI: 1.39-1.96; I2=45%), a finding to be interpreted with caution due to the small study number.
Conclusion: This systematic review of longitudinal data provides the strongest evidence to date supporting a significant, bidirectional relationship between OSA and MASLD. The presence of objectively-diagnosed OSA more than doubles the risk of developing future MASLD. These findings provide a strong rationale for implementing mutual, risk-stratified screening and developing integrated management strategies to disrupt the vicious cycle linking these two common and morbid conditions.
Authors
- Nurul Anisa1*
- Adrianison1
- 1Department of Pulmonology and Respiratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Riau/Arifin Achmad Regional General Hospital, Pekanbaru, Indonesia
Corresponding author Nurul Anisa — dr.nurulanisa@yahoo.com
Article history
- Submitted
- Accepted
- Published
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright and licensing
Copyright in each article remains with the author(s). Authors grant Bioscientia Medicina: Journal of Biomedicine and Translational Research a non-exclusive right of first publication and the right to identify itself as the original publisher. No exclusive transfer of copyright is required.
All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0): https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/. Users may copy, redistribute, remix, transform, and build upon the material for non-commercial purposes, provided appropriate attribution is given, a link to the license is supplied, changes are indicated, and adaptations are distributed under the same license.
The license applies to the article's scholarly content unless a credit line states otherwise. Third-party material may be subject to separate rights. Authors retain patent, trademark, moral, and research-data rights. The copyright year follows the article's publication date.
