About our research
The group has a strong focus on fatty liver disease (NAFLD) from an epidemiological and clinical perspective. Our main focus is on identifying risk factors and subgroups of patients with a particularly high risk of severe liver disease outcomes, such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. With access to both detailed long-term follow-up studies including histology data, as well as population-based register studies, we are uniquely positioned to conduct high-quality studies on the progression and outcomes of NAFLD. Other research interests include the epidemiology of hepatocellular carcinoma, alcohol-related liver disease, cirrhosis and aspects of public health. The group is composed of clinicians, epidemiologists and research nurses. We have several collaborations with other groups at KI, as well as a large national and international network.
The group is part of the Gastroenterology and Rheumatology Unit at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge (MedH).
Ongoing studies on NAFLD and a register-based cohort of patients
Some ongoing studies include a large-scale screening initiative for liver disease in type 2 diabetes, development of new methods to predict progression of fibrosis in NAFLD and a national, longitudinal multi-center study in Sweden evaluating new biomarkers of disease severity in NAFLD. We have also recently built a register-based cohort consisting of all patients in Sweden with a liver disease diagnosis, and several ongoing projects are using this database.
Open positions
We are always looking for talented postdocs or tentative PhD candidates with previous experience in epidemiology and biostatistics to help us improve our understanding of liver diseases.
If you are interested, contact Group Leader Hannes Hagström
Projects
We are currently involved in >40 scientific projects. A few of the major projects are briefly outlined below.
Screening for Advanced Fibrosis due to NAFLD in persons with type 2 diabetes (SCANDIA)
This is a screening initiative where persons with type 2 diabetes that undergo retinopathy screening are also offered an examination of their liver using transient elastography. The study will examine the prevalence of NAFLD and advanced fibrosis in T2D, and study if this is a feasible way to identify patients that risk development of cirrhosis early on.
Long-term follow-up of patients with NAFLD
We have access to one of the largest cohorts globally (n>1100) of patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD. The cohort is linked to national registers, allowing for investigation of long-term outcomes. Several sub-studies are ongoing.
Fatty liver in Sweden (FLIS):
This is a multi-center cohort study at several Swedish university hospitals led by us. Patients with NAFLD are followed longitudinally for up to five years with elastography and detailed biobanking of samples.
Epidemiology of liver disease in Sweden
We have obtained register-level data on all patients with a liver disease in Sweden since 1969 and matched controls. We can thus investigate a large number of outcomes in patients with a diagnosis of any liver disease compared to the general population. A large number of projects are ongoing.
Health Outcomes and Risk Assessment in Chronic Liver Disease (HERALD)
Here we are obtaining detailed register-level data, including results from laboratory tests from all persons in Stockholm county, including detailed data from liver biopsies and elastography in a subgroup. The project will cross-link data from a large number of sources to build an extensive and detailed database on liver disease outcomes in a population-based cohort study.