In the subgroup analysis for the comparison between patients with NAFLD and controls within studies with and without the inclusion of patients with NASH-related liver cirrhosis, there was statistically significant difference between subgroups (p = 0.0004), with FGF-21 SMD being higher in studies with the inclusion of patients with NASH-related cirrhosis (SMD: 1.01, 95% CI: 0.84, 1.18, p < 0.00001; Table 4; Fig. S2j-l). This evidence concerns the gene FGF21 and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis.