27 Jan 2026 • Adults with greater liver fibrosis, measured using the Fibrosis-4 index, faced significantly higher rates of sudden cardiac arrest, a UK Biobank study found.

Among 452,454 adults followed for a median of 13.8 years, sudden cardiac arrest rates rose progressively with increasing FIB-4 scores. Those in the indeterminate range had a 26% higher risk (aHR 1.26), while those with high FIB-4 scores had a 69% higher risk (aHR 1.69) vs individuals at low fibrosis risk. Risk rose in a graded, dose-response manner, with each standard deviation increase in FIB-4 linked to a 20% increase in sudden cardiac arrest risk (aHR 1.20).

The findings suggested that routine FIB-4 assessment could help flag individuals at elevated arrhythmic risk and support earlier cardiovascular risk stratification beyond traditional markers.

Source: Heart Rhythm | Read full story