Association of obstructive sleep apnea with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in patients with obesity: an observational study.

Purpose: Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is associated with the presence and severity of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). We aimed to investigate the relationship between the severity of OSA and NAFLD and to recognize a polysomnographic parameter correlated with progression of fibrosis, determined by a non-invasive score of liver fibrosis, FIBrosis-4 index (FIB-4), in patients affected by severe obesity and OSA.

Methods: We enrolled 334 patients (Body Mass Index, BMI 44.