December 2023 | Mary E. Rinella, Jeffrey V. Lazarus, Vlad Ratziu, Sven M. Francque, Arun J. Sanyal, Fasiha Kanwal, Diana Romero, Manal F. Abdelmalek, Quentin M. Anstee, Juan Pablo Arab, Marco Arrese, Ramon Bataller, Ulrich Beuers, Jerome Boursier, Elisabetta Bugianesi, Christopher D. Byrne, Graciela E. Castro Narro, Abhijit Chowdhury, Helena Cortez-Pinto, Donna R. Cryer, Kenneth Cusi, Mohamed El-Kassas, Samuel Klein, Wayne Eskridge, Jiangao Fan, Samer Gawrieh, Cynthia D. Guy, Stephen A. Harrison, Seung Up Kim, Bart G. Koot, Marko Korenjak, Kris V. Kowdley, Florence Lacaille, Rohit Loomba, Robert Mitchell-Thain, Timothy R. Morgan, Elisabeth E. Powell, Michael Roden, Manuel Romero-Gomez, Marcelo Silva, Shivaram Prasad Singh, Silvia C. Sookoian, C. Wendy Spearman, Dina Tinakos, Luca Valenti, Miriam B. Vos, Vincent Wai-Sun Wong, Stavra Xanthakos, Yusuf Yilmaz, Zobair Younossi, Ansley Hobbs, Marcela Villota-Rivas, Philip N. Newsome
This study aimed to determine if content experts and patient advocates supported a change in the nomenclature and/or definition of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). A modified Delphi process was conducted by three large pan-national liver associations, with a supermajority (67%) vote defined as consensus. An independent committee of experts made the final recommendation on the acronym and diagnostic criteria. The study involved 236 panellists from 56 countries across 4 online surveys and 2 hybrid meetings, with response rates of 87%, 83%, 83%, and 78%, respectively. Seventy-four percent of respondents felt the current nomenclature was flawed and considered a name change necessary. The terms "nonalcoholic" and "fatty" were deemed stigmatizing by 61% and 66% of respondents, respectively. Steatohepatitis was retained as an important pathophysiological concept. The new term chosen to replace NAFLD is metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), which includes the presence of at least one cardiometabolic risk factor. Those with no metabolic parameters and no known cause are classified as cryptogenic steatotic liver disease. A new category, metabolic and alcohol-related/associated liver disease (MetALD), was introduced for those with MASLD who consume more than the threshold for NAFLD. The new nomenclature and diagnostic criteria are widely supported, non-stigmatizing, and aim to improve awareness and patient identification.This study aimed to determine if content experts and patient advocates supported a change in the nomenclature and/or definition of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). A modified Delphi process was conducted by three large pan-national liver associations, with a supermajority (67%) vote defined as consensus. An independent committee of experts made the final recommendation on the acronym and diagnostic criteria. The study involved 236 panellists from 56 countries across 4 online surveys and 2 hybrid meetings, with response rates of 87%, 83%, 83%, and 78%, respectively. Seventy-four percent of respondents felt the current nomenclature was flawed and considered a name change necessary. The terms "nonalcoholic" and "fatty" were deemed stigmatizing by 61% and 66% of respondents, respectively. Steatohepatitis was retained as an important pathophysiological concept. The new term chosen to replace NAFLD is metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), which includes the presence of at least one cardiometabolic risk factor. Those with no metabolic parameters and no known cause are classified as cryptogenic steatotic liver disease. A new category, metabolic and alcohol-related/associated liver disease (MetALD), was introduced for those with MASLD who consume more than the threshold for NAFLD. The new nomenclature and diagnostic criteria are widely supported, non-stigmatizing, and aim to improve awareness and patient identification.