The role of pharmacotherapy in improving quality of life among patients with MAFLD: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials
- 1College of Public Health and Nursing, Hangzhou Normal University
- 2Department of Hepatology, Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University
Abstract
Background: Clinical studies confirm that patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) commonly experience a significant decline in quality of life (QOL). However, existing research findings on the efficacy of drug therapies in improving their QOL remain inconsistent, and quantitative evidence from meta-analyses is lacking. This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the effectiveness of drug therapy in improving the QOL of patients with MAFLD.
Methods: We systematically searched four electronic databases from their inception to 24 October 2025. All statistical analyses were performed using Review Manager software (version 5.4).
Results: The meta-analysis revealed that drug intervention had a positive effect only on the Physical Component Summary (PCS) score (SMD: 0.19, 95% CI: 0.05–0.34, I ² = 0, p-heterogeneity = 0.45). Subgroup analysis indicated that the ≤12-month drug intervention group demonstrated improvement in the Physical Component Summary score (SMD = 0.25, 95% CI: 0.03–0.46, I ² = 0, p-heterogeneity = 0.26).
Conclusion: Moderate to very low-quality evidence indicates that pharmacological interventions yield a small, statistically significant improvement in the SF-36 PCS score in MAFLD patients, but this change does not meet the established minimal clinically important difference threshold for this population. To better elucidate the full impact of medications on patients’ QOL, future studies should prioritize comprehensive, multidimensional assessments of patient-reported outcomes, while remaining focused on hepatic pathology.
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BibTeX
@article{zhao2026role,
title = {{The role of pharmacotherapy in improving quality of life among patients with MAFLD: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials}},
author = {Sitian Zhao and Di Meng and Chuyun Rao and Chunlan Liu and Binbin Zhang and Junping Shi},
journal = {Frontiers in Pharmacology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fphar.2026.1788802},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2026.1788802/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The role of pharmacotherapy in improving quality of life among patients with MAFLD: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials
AU - Sitian Zhao
AU - Di Meng
AU - Chuyun Rao
AU - Chunlan Liu
AU - Binbin Zhang
AU - Junping Shi
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/19
JO - Frontiers in Pharmacology
DO - 10.3389/fphar.2026.1788802
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2026.1788802/full
AB - Background: Clinical studies confirm that patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) commonly experience a significant decline in quality of life (QOL). However, existing research findings on the efficacy of drug therapies in improving their QOL remain inconsistent, and quantitative evidence from meta-analyses is lacking. This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the effectiveness of drug therapy in improving the QOL of patients with MAFLD. Methods: We systematically searched four electronic databases from their inception to 24 October 2025. All statistical analyses were performed using Review Manager software (version 5.4). Results: The meta-analysis revealed that drug intervention had a positive effect only on the Physical Component Summary (PCS) score (SMD: 0.19, 95% CI: 0.05–0.34, I ² = 0, p-heterogeneity = 0.45). Subgroup analysis indicated that the ≤12-month drug intervention group demonstrated improvement in the Physical Component Summary score (SMD = 0.25, 95% CI: 0.03–0.46, I ² = 0, p-heterogeneity = 0.26). Conclusion: Moderate to very low-quality evidence indicates that pharmacological interventions yield a small, statistically significant improvement in the SF-36 PCS score in MAFLD patients, but this change does not meet the established minimal clinically important difference threshold for this population. To better elucidate the full impact of medications on patients’ QOL, future studies should prioritize comprehensive, multidimensional assessments of patient-reported outcomes, while remaining focused on hepatic pathology.
SN - 1663-9812
ER -