Liver decompensation after rapid weight loss from semaglutide in a patient with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis -associated cirrhosis

We report herein the first documented case of liver decompensation and need for liver transplant waitlisting in a patient with NASH-cirrhosis treated with semaglutide. Rapid weight loss led to the development of ascites and hepatic encephalopathy and an increase in the patients Model for Endstage Liver Disease-Na (MELD-Na) score from 11 to 22. Aggressive nutritional supplementation was commenced and the semaglutide was stopped. Over the following months she regained her weight and her liver recompensated and her MELD-Na decreased to 13, allowing her to be delisted from the transplant waitlist. This case serves as a cautionary tale to clinicians using semaglutide in the cirrhotic population and highlights the need for more safety data in this patient group.PMID:38186682 | PMC:PMC10768411 | DOI:10.3748/wjg.v29.i47.6165
Source: World Journal of Gastroenterology : WJG - Category: Gastroenterology Authors: Source Type: research