High blood pressure, diabetes and low levels of "good" HDL cholesterol all increase the risk of death for people with fatty liver disease, researchers wrote. File Photo by Shou Sheng/EPA
People with fatty liver disease are more likely to die early if they have one of three additional health problems, a new study says.
High blood pressure, diabetes and low levels of "good" HDL cholesterol all increase the risk of death for people with fatty liver disease, researchers reported Wednesday in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
Importantly, high blood pressure was linked with the highest death risk from fatty liver disease, researchers found.
"Until now, it was commonly thought that diabetes was the most pressing health problem for [fatty liver disease] patients, which is a key insight," lead researcher Dr. Matthew Dukewich, a University of Southern California transplant hepatology fellow, said in a news release.
