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Public Release Type:
Journal
Publication Year: 2022
Affiliation: 1. James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy, University
of Cincinnati, 3225 Eden Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45267-0004,
USA;
2. Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy,
King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia;
3. School of Human Services, University of Cincinnati,
Cincinnati, OH 45221-0068, USA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40267-022-00957-z
Authors:
Alrasheed M,
Guo JJ,
Lin AC,
Wigle PR,
Hardee A,
Hincapie AL
Request IDs:
23211
Studies:
Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) Adult Database
,
Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) Pediatric Database
,
Pioglitazone vs Vitamin E vs Placebo for Treatment of Non-Diabetic Patients With Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis
,
Treatment of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Children
Background: Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is a silent multisystem disease; yet patients might report nonspecific symptoms like general tiredness or discomfort over the right upper abdomen where the liver is located. The objectives of this study were to examine the effect of polypharmacy on the patient reported liver symptoms in adult patients diagnosed with NAFLD and to examine the impact of patient reported symptoms on Quality of Life (QoL). Methods: A retrospective observational study to evaluate NAFLD patient reported symptoms, QoL, and polypharmacy in the US. Baseline patient data was retrieved from two Steatohepatitis Clinical Research Network (NASH CRN) studies. Patients were classified as having polypharmacy if they used five medications or more. The comparisons of patients reported symptoms between patients with polypharmacy vs non-polypharmacy were done using the Wilcoxon Rank Sum Test. To examine each symptom and its effect on QoL, multivariable generalized linear models were performed on QoL scores. Results: The total number of patients included in this study was 1032 patients. Patients in the polypharmacy group reported more symptoms than the patient in non-polypharmacy group. The average percentage of reporting “none at all” in patients with polypharmacy was 50% while 66% in the non-polypharmacy group (p < 0.01). In multivariable linear models, the symptoms that had a statistically significant negative impact on QoL physical health were muscle weakness, fatigue, and swelling of ankles (B = -13.7, -9.7, and -7.914 respectively, all p < 0.01). For mental health, depression/sadness, fatigue, and muscle weakness were the most symptoms that negatively affected QoL (B = -20.3, -11.2 and -7.1 respectively, all p < 0.01) Conclusion: NAFLD patients with polypharmacy reported more symptoms than NAFLD patients with non-polypharmacy. Fatigue and muscle weakness were the most common symptoms that affected physical health of QoL negatively, while depression/sadness and fatigue had a negative impact on mental health QoL
