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RecruitingNCT07652892MASLDUpdated Jun 17, 2026

Impact of Steatotic Liver Disease Associated With Metabolic Dysfunction (MASLD) on Frailty, Cognition, and Quality of Life. A Gender-sensitive Approach Towards a Comprehensive and Equitable Perspective.

An observational study in Steatosis of Liver, sponsored by Fundació Institut de Recerca de l'Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau. Recruiting at 2 sites in Spain. Open to participants aged 20 Years to 80 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-06-17.

Sponsored by Fundació Institut de Recerca de l'Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau · Observational

Study type
Observational
Model
Case-only
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
140
Ages
20 Years to 80 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The goal of this observational study is to determine the differences in the prevalence, characteristics and evolution of frailty between men and women diagnosed with MASLD, and to establish its relationship with clinical, functional, hormonal and social parameters.

02

Conditions studied

  • Steatosis of Liver

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Keywords

  • A condition characterized by the accumulation of fat in the liver, which is closely linked to metabolic disorders and occurs with low or no alcohol consumption.
03

In context

Fatty Liver

662 studies on the registry are indexed under Fatty Liver; 184 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 140 is close to the median of 150 across 206 observational studies indexed under Fatty Liver.

Browse Fatty Liver studies →

Lead sponsor

Fundació Institut de Recerca de l'Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau is the lead sponsor of 343 studies on the registry; 65 are open to participants now.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
20 Years to 80 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

The degree of frailty will be compared between patients with MASLD and a cohort of individuals without liver disease. For this purpose, we have a historical cohort of 135 individuals without liver disease from primary care clinics whose frailty was assessed using the Fried frailty index.

From this cohort, we will select participants by matching sex and age with the MASLD patients recruited for the present study.

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

  • Patients will be included who are able to provide and actively participate in periodic assessments.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Risky alcohol consumption:

> 30 g/day in men and > 20 g/day in women. AUDIT score: > 7 points in men, > 5 in women.

  • Other liver diseases (viral hepatitis, hepatitis, etc.).
  • Advanced neurodegenerative diseases or severe psychiatric disorders.
  • Severe comorbidities or treatments that, in the researchers' judgment, may affect frailty and quality of life more than metabolic syndrome and liver disease.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(2)

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.

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.

05

Study design

Observational model
Case-only
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
140 participants (estimated)
Target follow-up
12 Months
Patient registry
Yes

Groups and cohorts

  • Patients diagnosed with MASLD

    Consecutive patients diagnosed with MASLD at any degree of fibrosis between the ages of 20 and 80 will be included. The main variable will be the degree of frailty assessed by the LFI and the Fried Index.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in Liver Frailty Index (LFI) score

    Change in Liver Frailty Index (LFI) score from baseline to follow-up. Higher values indicate worsening frailty, whereas lower values indicate improvement in frailty.

    Time frame: Baseline to Month 12

  2. Fried Frailty Index

    The Fried Frailty Index assesses frailty based on five components: unintentional weight loss, exhaustion, weakness, slow walking speed, and low physical activity. Higher scores indicate greater frailty. Positive change scores indicate worsening frailty, whereas negative change scores indicate improvement.

    Time frame: Baseline to Month 12

Secondary outcomes

  1. Association Between Frailty and Functional Performance Measures

    Association between frailty status (LFI and Fried Frailty Index) and functional performance assessed by gait speed, Timed Up and Go test, handgrip strength, and balance.

    Time frame: Baseline to Month 12

  2. Association Between Frailty and Inflammatory, Metabolic, and Oxidative Stress Biomarkers

    Relationship between frailty status and circulating inflammatory, metabolic, and oxidative stress biomarkers.

    Time frame: Baseline to Month 12.

  3. Association Between Frailty and Hormonal Parameters

    Relationship between frailty status and hormonal parameters, including female-specific variables such as menstrual status, menopausal status, and hormone replacement therapy use.

    Time frame: Baseline to Month 12

  4. Association Between Frailty and Body Composition

    Relationship between frailty status and body composition parameters assessed by bioelectrical impedance analysis, including phase angle.

    Time frame: Baseline to Month 12

  5. Association Between Frailty and Gut Microbiota Composition

    Relationship between frailty status and fecal microbiota composition assessed by shotgun metagenomic sequencing.

    Time frame: Baseline to Month 12

  6. Association Between Frailty and Cognitive Function, Quality of Life, and Self-Esteem

    Relationship between frailty status and cognitive performance, quality of life, illness perception, and self-esteem assessed using validated questionnaires.

    Time frame: Baseline to Month 12

  7. Association Between Frailty and Social Determinants of Health and Gender Roles

    Relationship between frailty status and social determinants of health, health literacy, and gender-related factors.

    Time frame: Baseline to Month 12

  8. Development of an Artificial Intelligence-Based Frailty Risk Prediction Model

    Development and evaluation of a predictive model integrating clinical, functional, biochemical, hormonal, microbiota, cognitive, psychosocial, and gender-related variables to identify patients at increased risk of frailty progression over one year.

    Time frame: Baseline to Month 12

07

Study locations

1 of 2 sites recruiting
  • Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau
    Barcelona, Barcelona 08031, Spain
    Not yet recruiting
    • Eva Román, Digestive Pathology Nurse · ContactERoman@santpau.cat · 0034630818580
    • Elisabeth Pérez-Chust, Internal Medicine Nurse · Sub investigator
    • Rosalía Santesmases, EUI Sant Pau Nurse · Sub investigator
    • Maria Poca, Digestive Pathology MD PhD · Sub investigator
    • German Soriano, Digestive Pathology MD PhD · Sub investigator
    • Berta Cuyàs, Digestive Pathology MD PhD · Sub investigator
    • Idoia Genua, Endocrinology and Nutrition MD · Sub investigator
    • Marc Pons-Tarín, Microbiome Department Member · Sub investigator
    • Zoraida Moreno-Weidmann, Cardiology MD · Sub investigator
  • Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau
    Barcelona, Barcelona 08031, Spain
    Recruiting
08

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jun 17, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07652892
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Jun 17, 2026
Start date
May 26, 2026 (estimated)
Primary completion
Feb 25, 2027 (estimated)
Completion
May 25, 2028 (estimated)
Last update
Jun 17, 2026

Study contacts

Eva Román, Digestive Pathology Nurse
Contact
ERoman@santpau.cat
0034630818580
German Soriano, Digestive Pathology MD
Contact
gsoriano@santpau.cat
Eva Roman
principal investigator · Institut de Recerca IR Sant Pau

Oversight

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

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