The role of ursodeoxycholic acid in the management of patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and cardiometabolic multimorbidity: a review of current evidence

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Abstract

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is regarded as a clinical marker of systemic metabolic dysfunction and an important component of the cardiometabolic multimorbidity phenotype. The aim of this review is to summarize current evidence on the association of NAFLD with cardiovascular prognosis and disorders of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, and to present the potential role of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in the comprehensive management of these patients. The literature search methodology included an analysis of publications indexed in PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, and eLIBRARY for 2018–2026, clinical guidelines, as well as key studies from previous years. The available evidence indicates that UDCA should be considered as a component of comprehensive NAFLD therapy due to its ability to promote the elimination of excess free fatty acids from hepatocytes and, at the same time, exert a favorable effect on the associated cardiometabolic risk.

About the authors

Olga D. Ostroumova

Russian Medical Academy of Continuous Professional Education of the Ministry of Healthcare of the Russian Federation; I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University)

Author for correspondence.
Email: ostroumova.olga@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-0795-8225
SPIN-code: 3910-6585

Dr. Sci. (Med.), Professor, Head of the Department of Therapy and Polymorbid Pathology named after Academician M.S. Vovsi, Professor of the Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Propaedeutics of Internal Diseases

Russian Federation, Moscow; Moscow

N. A. Plotnikova

Russian Medical Academy of Continuous Professional Education of the Ministry of Healthcare of the Russian Federation

Email: na_tasah_90@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-5454-9339

Cand. Sci. (Med.), Associate Professor of the Department of Therapy and Polymorbid Pathology named after Academician M.S. Vovsi

Russian Federation, Moscow

A. I. Kochetkov

Russian Medical Academy of Continuous Professional Education of the Ministry of Healthcare of the Russian Federation

Email: ak_info@list.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-5801-3742
SPIN-code: 9212-6010

Cand. Sci. (Med.), Associate Professor of the Department of Therapy and Polymorbid Pathology named after Academician M.S. Vovsi

Russian Federation, Moscow

E. K. Dedovets

Russian Medical Academy of Continuous Professional Education of the Ministry of Healthcare of the Russian Federation; Scandinavian Health Center

Email: ldedovets@bk.ru

Candidate of the Academician M.S. Vovsi Department of Therapy and Polymorbid Pathology, Head of the Ultrasound Diagnostics Department

Russian Federation, Moscow; Moscow

E. V. Suglobova

A.K. Eramishantsev City Clinical Hospital of the Moscow Department of Health

Email: ekaterina-vikt@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-6566-070X

Cand. Sci. (Med.), Cardiologist, Department of Cardiology

Russian Federation, Moscow

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