Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is the most common chronic metabolic disease that you may never have heard of. MASLD, formerly known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is the most prevalent liver disease worldwide. MASLD affects 30% of the world’s population, more than half of those people with obesity, and more than 70% of people with type 2 diabetes. While many clinicians may see patients with slightly elevated transaminases and assume it is fatty liver, MASLD is not benign and often begins well before laboratory changes. This article reviews the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and natural history of MASLD; known treatments; and future therapies.