Association between obesity after liver transplantation and steatosis, inflammation, and fibrosis of the graft

Background Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis has become one of the leading causes of liver transplantation. The development of steatosis, as well as the link to inflammation and fibrosis, after transplantation remain poorly understood. The aim of this analysis was to evaluate the influence of obesity on histopathological changes of the graft during long‐term follow‐up. Methods A total of 1494 longitudinal liver biopsies of 271 recipients were evaluated during a follow‐up period of 5 to 10 years. Clinical and laboratory parameters as well as histopathological categories of steatosis, inflammation, and fibrosis were explored by routine protocol biopsies. Results The BMI and prevalence of diabetes mellitus significantly increased after transplantation (P