Growth Differentiation Factor 15 and Histology-Defined Steatohepatitis and Fibrosis in Severe Obesity…

Cohort studyObesity surgery· Jul 2026

Growth Differentiation Factor 15 and Histology-Defined Steatohepatitis and Fibrosis in Severe Obesity Undergoing Bariatric Surgery.

Young-Jen Lin, Chi-Ling Chen, Jia-Huei Tsai … Po-Jen Yang

EndocrinologyCohort studyDiagnosisQ1IF 2.5

Highest GDF15 quintile strongly associated with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis in severe obesity

Growth Differentiation Factor 15 and Histology-Defined Steatohepatitis and Fibrosis in Severe Obesity Undergoing Bariatric Surgery.

Young-Jen Lin … Po-Jen Yang

Obesity surgery · Jul 2026

Background

Identifying metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) and liver fibrosis in patients with severe obesity is clinically important but remains challenging.

Purpose

This study aimed to evaluate the association between preoperative serum GDF15 levels and biopsy-proven MASH and liver fibrosis in patients undergoing bariatric surgery.

Methods

We conducted an observational analysis of patients with severe obesity undergoing bariatric surgery, with liver histology evaluated by intraoperative wedge biopsy.

n = 160 patients

Results

far higher odds of fatty-liver inflammation with scarring at the top blood-marker level

OR by subgroup · 95% CI

More results

Higher GDF15 levels were associated with older age, male sex, greater body weight, BMI, waist circumference, T2D, fasting glucose, glycated hemoglobin (A1C), aspartate aminotransferase, and creatinine.

The prevalence of MASH and fibrosis increased across GDF15 quintiles.

More results

In multivariable analyses, higher serum GDF15 levels were significantly associated with increased risks of MASH and liver fibrosis across quintiles (p for trend < 0.001).

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Conclusion

In patients with severe obesity undergoing bariatric surgery, serum GDF15 was independently associated with biopsy-proven MASH and liver fibrosis and may aid noninvasive liver disease risk stratification.

Growth Differentiation Factor 15 and Histology-Defined Steatohepatitis and Fibrosis in Severe Obesity Undergoing Bariatric Surgery.

Growth Differentiation Factor 15 and Histology-Defined Steatohepatitis and Fibrosis in Severe Obesity Undergoing Bariatric Surgery.

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