---
title: >-
  Opioid use in patients with NAFLD: prevalence and association with
  comorbidities and disease severity.
description: >-
  Explore this publication on real-world evidence: Opioid use in patients with
  NAFLD: prevalence and association with comorbidities and disease severity..
date: '2019-01-01'
category: Publications
tags:
  - EASL
  - Poster Presentation
  - R&D
  - Care
  - Hepatology
  - MASH/MASLD
  - Health System Partner
canonical_url: >-
  https://www.pedestalhealth.com/resources/publications/easl/opioid-use-in-patients-with-nafld-prevalence-and/
source: Pedestal Health
license: © 2026 Pedestal Health. All rights reserved.
slug: opioid-use-in-patients-with-nafld-prevalence-and
id: 5vCI3DPV7Bps2qUbO0SzjK
contentType: article
---

## Challenge

Opioid analgesics carry elevated risk in liver disease, yet the prevalence of opioid use across the NAFLD spectrum and its association with comorbidities, disease severity, and psychiatric burden had not been characterized in a large, prospective real-world cohort.

## Solution

The TARGET-NASH cohort was analyzed to quantify opioid use prevalence across NAFL, NASH, and cirrhosis disease groups and identify independent predictors of opioid use through multivariable stepwise regression, providing the first real-world characterization of this safety-relevant prescribing pattern.

## Impact

Establishing that approximately 1 in 5 NAFLD patients uses opioids—with significantly higher rates in cirrhosis, high BMI, and psychiatric comorbidity—provides a direct safety surveillance signal for NAFLD drug developers and supports the design of concomitant medication monitoring policies in NAFLD trials.