ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT04918732Updated Apr 15, 2024

NAFLD Primary Care

An interventional study of FibroScan in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Cardiovascular Diseases and Type2 Diabetes, sponsored by Maastricht University. Recruiting at 1 site in Netherlands. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 80 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-04-15.

Sponsored by Maastricht University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Diagnostic

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was expected by Dec 2024, 1 year 10 months ago, but the record still lists the study as recruiting.
  • Started May 2021; still recruiting 5 years 6 months later.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
1,470
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
18 Years to 80 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is with 25% the most prevalent liver disorder in Western society and is associated with overweight, obesity, metabolic syndrome (MetS), type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and increased risk of cancer development. NAFLD is defined by a hepatic fat accumulation of more than 5% in the absence of classical causes of steatogenesis (e.g. alcohol and steatogenic drugs). It represents a broad spectrum of clinical entities from non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) to advanced liver disease with hepatic failure. Most of the patients have simple steatosis, however in about 15-30% non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) develops, which leads to an overall increase in morbidity and mortality due to the progression to fibrosis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Patients with NAFLD have no or few, mainly aspecific symptoms; and generally there is a silent progression of simple steatosis to NASH and in the end liver-related morbidity and mortality. Despite the clinical importance and the potential impact on healthcare resources, there is a striking lack of awareness on all levels of NAFLD. Furthermore, little to know data are available concerning the quality of life of NAFLD patients. Additionally, the majority of NAFLD patients are currently not detected due to the lack of non-invasive methods to diagnose NAFLD. Most of these patients, as a first contact in the healthcare system, will be found in the outpatient clinic of the general practitioner (GP). To date, it is not clear what the burden is of NAFLD and related diseases in at risk subjects in primary care. Therefore, identification of NAFLD patients in this cohort will give information on the prevalence in the group of uncomplicated overweight and obesity and those with concomitant cardiometabolic diseases. By early detecting these patients at risk to develop progressive liver diseases and extrahepatic manifestations, it will be possible to intervene and improve health.

02

Conditions studied

  • Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
  • Cardiovascular Diseases
  • Type2 Diabetes
  • Metabolic Syndrome
  • Overweight and Obesity
03

In context

Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

1,617 studies on the registry are indexed under Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; 324 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 1,470 is above the median of 60 across 1,176 interventional studies indexed under Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Browse Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease studies →

Lead sponsor

Maastricht University is the lead sponsor of 97 studies on the registry; 20 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 80 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Able to understand and sign the
  • Able to speak Dutch
  • Between 18-80 years
  • >25 kg/m²
  • Having one of the following conditions: 1)overweight, 2) obesity, 3) type 2 diabetes mellitus, 4) cardiovascular diseases (hypertension, atherosclerosis, angina pectoris, ischaemic heart condition, cerebrovascular condition)

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Excessive alcohol use (more than 20 g/day for women and 30g/day for men= >2 glasses alcohol/day for women and >3 glasses for men)
  • Other liver diseases: virus, virus, hepatitis, primary biliary cirrhosis, hemochromatosis, Wilson's disease, Alpha 1 antitrypsin deficiency
  • Secondary causes for steatosis: disorders of lipid metabolism, HCV Genotype 3, total parental nutrition, severe surgical weight loss, medications (amiodarone, tamoxifen, methotrexate, and HAART), lean steatosis, Celiac disease, environmental toxicity
  • Pregnancy and breastfeeding.
  • A history of bariatric surgery.
  • Diagnosis of liver cirrhosis and/or hepatocellular carcinoma.
  • Current diagnosis of extrahepatic (s) or prior diagnosis within last 5 years.
  • Individuals about to undergo a surgery or otherwise medical procedure that will interfere with data collection and analyses planned within the current cohort, will initially be excluded from participation, but are offered the opportunity to participate at a later moment in time (e.g., after 3 months are myocardial infarction patients are eligible for participation).
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(7)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

BMI (body mass index)

Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.

What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.

Hepatitis B tests

Hepatitis B is a virus that infects the liver. These are separate tests: HBsAg positive usually means a current infection (a recent vaccination can briefly cause it too); total anti-HBc (HBcAb) positive means an infection now or in the past; HBV DNA measures how much virus is in the blood.

Some studies accept a past infection if HBV DNA is undetectable, sometimes with antiviral medicine during the study. Check what this study allows.

Hepatitis C tests

Hepatitis C is a virus that infects the liver. An HCV antibody test can stay positive after an infection has cleared (and is occasionally positive without one); an HCV RNA test shows whether the virus is there now.

After treatment, hepatitis C counts as cured when HCV RNA is still undetectable 12 weeks or more after the treatment ended. Studies often accept people cured this way.

Autoimmune disease

A condition in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease.

Immunotherapy studies often leave out active autoimmune disease, and some name exceptions, such as thyroid disease on replacement hormone. Check the exceptions this study lists.

Corticosteroids (steroids)

Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.

Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.

Cancer (malignancy)

Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.

Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Diagnostic
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
1,470 participants (estimated)

Interventions

  • Diagnostic testFibroScan

    The FibroScan device developed by Echosens (France) measures the liver stifness and steatosis based on a pulse of sound waves that goes through the liver.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Prevalence of NAFLD in risk groups followed by the general practitioner

    Time frame: 3 years

Secondary outcomes

  1. To study the risk factor overweight in the development of NAFLD

    To see if there is an effect of having a BMI between 25 and 30 kg/m² in the development of NAFLD. The physiological parameter used will be BMI.

    Time frame: 3 years

  2. To study the risk factor obesity in the development of NAFLD

    To see if there is an effect of having a BMI between 30-40 kg/m² on the development of NAFLD. The physiological parameter used will be BMI.

    Time frame: 3 years

  3. To study the risk factor metabolic syndrome in the development of NAFLD

    To see if there is an effect of metabolic syndrome (defined by the criteria of the International Diabetes Federation) on the development of NAFLD.

    Time frame: 3 years

  4. To study the risk factor type 2 diabetes mellitus in the development of NAFLD

    Type 2 diabetes mellitus will be assessed based on previous diagnosis and HbA1c levels.

    Time frame: 3 years

  5. To study the risk factor cardiovascular diseases in the development of NAFLD

    Cardiovascular diseases will be assessed based on medical history found in the EPF.

    Time frame: 3 years

  6. To assess if the patient has a depression

    Depression will be assessed using the patient-health questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9).

    Time frame: 3 years

  7. To assess if the patient has a anxiety issues

    Anxiety will be assessed using the general anxiety disorder questionnaire (GAD-7)

    Time frame: 3 years

  8. To assess if the general wellbeing of the patient.

    General wellbeing will be assessed using the short-health form-36 (SF-36).

    Time frame: 3 years

  9. To assess the physical state of the patient.

    The physical state will be assessed using the BAECKE questionnaire.

    Time frame: 3 years

  10. To assess the work productivity and absenteism of the patient.

    The work productivity will be assessed using the WPAI-SHP questionnaire.

    Time frame: 3 years

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
08

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Started May 2021 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Dec 2024, 43 months after the start.

Of 357 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, half reached primary completion within 26 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 12 and three quarters within 51. This study's planned 43 months is above that.

Counting every sponsor, half of 385 studies reached it within 26 months; a quarter within 12 and three quarters within 50.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
May 19, 2021
First posted
Jun 9, 2021
StartActual
May 5, 2021
Primary completionEst.
Dec 31, 2024
CompletionEst.
Dec 31, 2024
Last update
Apr 15, 2024
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Apr 15, 2024, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT04918732
Lead sponsor
Maastricht University
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Jun 9, 2021
Start date
May 5, 2021
Primary completion
Dec 31, 2024 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 31, 2024 (estimated)
Last update
Apr 15, 2024

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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