SynthesisFrontiers in gastroenterology (Lausanne, Switzerland)2025
Prevalence and risk factors of metabolic-associated fatty liver disease in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Frontiers in gastroenterology (Lausanne, Switzerland), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed.
- Interplay between MASLD, obesity and type 2 diabetes: epidemiology, shared pathways and clinical implications.BMJ open gastroenterology · 2026Review
- Prevalence and Spectrum of Chronic Liver Disease Among Patients Seeking Health Care in Ghana.Liver international : official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver · 2026Article
- Association between non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease among people living with HIV on dolutegravir-based antiretroviral therapy: A cross-sectional study in Southwestern Uganda.BMC research notes · 2026Article
- Predictive factors of metabolic dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) among individuals with cardio-metabolic risk factors, multicenter cross-sectional study, North East Ethiopia.BMC gastroenterology · 2026Article
- Vitamin D and the metabolic-associated steatotic liver disease-type 2 diabetes axis: a scoping-narrative review of global evidence and emerging perspectives for Sub-Saharan Africa.Frontiers in epidemiology · 2026Review
- Metabolic-associated steatotic liver disease in children and adolescents: a scoping review and narrative synthesis of epidemiology, risk factors, and screening approaches with emerging implications for sub-Saharan Africa.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026Article
- Prevalence, demographic characteristics and clinical profile of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease among adult patients attending tertiary hospitals in Dodoma, Tanzania. a cross-sectional study.BMC gastroenterology · 2025Article
- The Prevalence of Liver Enzyme Abnormalities Among Adult Patients with Non-Communicable Diseases in Rwanda: A Gender-Stratified Analysis.Hepatic medicine : evidence and research · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is undergoing an epidemiological transition with a steady rise in non-communicable diseases. Among these diseases, metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) has emerged as a rapidly increasing public health burden, but is inaccurately documented. We characterized the MAFLD prevalence and identified associated risk factors among adults in SSA. Methods: We searched PubMed/Medline, Cochrane, Embase, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and African Journals Online for studies looking into the prevalence of and the risk factors for MAFLD in SSA. Studies from 1990 in the English language were included, and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were used for reporting. The quality of the studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. A random-effects model was used to estimate the prevalence and the risk factors with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Meta-regression was used for the subgroup analyses to account for heterogeneity. Stata version 17 software was used for the analysis. This study was registered with PROSPERO (registration no. CRD42024506067). Results: A total of 538 studies were identified, with 22 included in the analysis. The overall prevalence of MAFLD was 29·21% (95%CI = 22.09-36.88, Interpretation: MAFLD is highly prevalent in SSA, with a steady increasing magnitude. The significant risk factors included diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and female sex. This study underscores the emerging need of clinicians in SSA to screen MAFLD among patients at high risk and to instigate tailored care. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD42024506067.
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