Chen L. From metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: Controversy and consensus. World J Hepatol 2023; 15(12): 1253-1257 [PMID: 38223415 DOI: 10.4254/wjh.v15.i12.1253]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Li Chen, Doctor, MD, PhD, Doctor, Department of Gastroenterology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University, School of Medicine, No. 999 Xiwang Road, Jiading District, Shanghai 201801, China. drchenli@163.com
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Article-Type of This Article
Editorial
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Hepatol. Dec 27, 2023; 15(12): 1253-1257 Published online Dec 27, 2023. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v15.i12.1253
From metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: Controversy and consensus
Li Chen
Li Chen, Department of Gastroenterology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai 201801, China
Author contributions: Chen L designed the overall concept and contributed to the writing, and editing of the manuscript, and review of the literature.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Li Chen, Doctor, MD, PhD, Doctor, Department of Gastroenterology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University, School of Medicine, No. 999 Xiwang Road, Jiading District, Shanghai 201801, China. drchenli@163.com
Received: October 23, 2023 Peer-review started: October 23, 2023 First decision: November 22, 2023 Revised: November 27, 2023 Accepted: December 12, 2023 Article in press: December 12, 2023 Published online: December 27, 2023 Processing time: 62 Days and 14.8 Hours
Abstract
The newly released nomenclature of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) in the 2023 European Association for the Study of the Liver Congress has raised great clinical concerns. This marks the second instance of significant renaming of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease since the introduction of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) in 2020. The nomenclature and definitions of MASLD and MAFLD exhibit significant disparities as well as substantial consensus. The disparities regarding the framework of nomenclature, the definitions, the clinical management, and the impact on the clinical outcomes between MASLD and MAFLD were comprehensively compared in this editorial. Additionally, the consensus reached by the MASLD and MAFLD definitions also emphasizes positive diagnosis rather than negative diagnosis within the framework of establishing a diagnostic approach. Furthermore, they acknowledged the pivotal role of metabolic dysfunction in the pathogenesis of MAFLD or MASLD and the positive role of increasing the awareness of the disease in public. Fortunately, the non-invasive tests remains effective in the MASLD and MAFLD era. Elucidating these disparities would contribute to a more comprehensive comprehension of the nature of steatotic liver disease and enhance clinical practice. Thus, more efforts are required to reach more consensus about these important topics.
Core Tip: The nomenclature for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease has undergone name changes twice in a span of three years. However, there exist significant disparities and some consensus between the transition from metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease. Clarifying these discrepancies would greatly benefit clinical practice and trials.
