MASLD (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease)
DEMASLD (Metabolische Dysfunktion-assoziierte steatotische Lebererkrankung)
MASLD (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease) is the 2023 rename of what used to be called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Major liver societies (EASL, AASLD, ALEH) agreed on it. The shift is more than a name. The old definition worked by exclusion (ruling out alcohol). The new one works by inclusion. To qualify, you need fat in the liver (on imaging or biopsy) plus at least one of five cardiometabolic risk factors. Those are: overweight or obesity, prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, or low HDL. That reflects the metabolic roots of the disease. People who drink above set alcohol limits but also meet the metabolic criteria get a separate label: MetALD. The disease can progress in stages. It goes from simple fatty liver, to inflammation (MASH, formerly NASH), to fibrosis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. MASLD affects an estimated 25 to 32% of adults worldwide. And it is a leading reason for liver-transplant waitlisting in the US and other wealthy countries.
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