Isaac Ruiz, MD-Ph.D.

Background. The global obesity epidemic continues to progress at an alarming rate. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome, is becoming the most common cause of end-stage liver disease (ESLD) and indication for liver transplantation (LT). Documenting the prevalence of overweight and obesity in patients on the waiting list for LT is imperative to make recommendations and improve management. Objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of overweight and obesity in patients on the waiting list at the moment of LT. Methodology. This is a retrospective analysis including all consecutive patients who underwent LT at the Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM) between 2019 and 2021. Only patients with biological, clinical and or radiological confirmed cirrhosis were included. Overweight and obesity was defined as body mass index (BMI) equal or superior to 25.0 and 30.0, respectively. Results. During the study period, 181 patients were transplanted at the CHUM. 155 patients with cirrhosis were included in this study. Among them, 104/155 (67.1%) were men, mean age was 52 years old (range 18-69). At the moment of transplantation, overall median BMI was 27.7 (range 16.9 – 44.5, mean 28.1). Overweight was present in 58/155 (37.4%), and obesity was present in 47/155 (30.3%). Results of BMI corrected by the presence of ascites and/or oedema will be presented. Figure 1 shows the prevalence of overweight and obesity overall (panel A), and according to the main etiology of chronic liver disease (panel B). Table 1 shows the median BMI in groups divided by the main etiology of cirrhosis. Discussion / Conclusion. At the moment of LT, almost 1/3 of patients display overweight and nearby 1/3 obesity. This study demonstrates the high prevalence of overweight and obesity in cirrhotic patients on the LT waiting list. Therapeutic and management strategies pre- and post-LT are mandatory using a multidisciplinary team, including nutritional intervention, while emphasizing weight stigma awareness.