Sex differences in chronic liver disease and benign liver lesionsKey points
Katherine M. Cooper,
Molly Delk,
Deepika Devuni,
Monika Sarkar
Affiliations
Katherine M. Cooper
UMass Chan Medical School, Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology/Hepatology, Worcester, MA, United States
Molly Delk
University of California San Francisco, Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology/Hepatology, San Francisco, CA, United States
Deepika Devuni
UMass Chan Medical School, Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology/Hepatology, Worcester, MA, United States
Monika Sarkar
University of California San Francisco, Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology/Hepatology, San Francisco, CA, United States; Corresponding author. Address: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of California, San Francisco, 513 Parnassus Avenue, Room S-357, San Francisco, CA, 94143-0358, United States. Tel.: 415-502-2656; fax: 415-476-0659.
Summary: The epidemiology, natural history, and therapeutic responses of chronic liver diseases and liver lesions often vary by sex. In this review, we summarize available clinical and translational data on these aspects of the most common liver conditions encountered in clinical practice, including the potential contributions of sex hormones to the underlying pathophysiology of observed differences. We also highlight areas of notable knowledge gaps and discuss sex disparities in access to liver transplant and potential strategies to address these barriers. Given established sex differences in immune response, drug metabolism, and response to liver-related therapies, emerging clinical trials and epidemiological studies should prioritize dedicated analyses by sex to inform sex-specific approaches to liver-related care.
