MASLD/NAFLD & Metabolic Liver Disease

MASLD/NAFLD & Metabolic Liver Disease encompasses a spectrum of liver disorders driven primarily by metabolic dysfunction, including obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and sedentary lifestyle. Metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), formerly known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is now the most common chronic liver condition globally and a leading cause of liver-related morbidity and mortality. The disease ranges from simple hepatic steatosis to the more severe form, metabolic dysfunction–associated steatohepatitis (MASH), which is characterized by inflammation, hepatocellular injury, and progressive fibrosis that can culminate in cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The pathogenesis of MASLD is multifactorial, involving insulin resistance, altered lipid metabolism, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, gut–liver axis dysregulation, and genetic susceptibility. Lifestyle factors, particularly unhealthy dietary patterns and physical inactivity, play a central role in disease initiation and progression. Diagnosis relies on a combination of clinical risk assessment, noninvasive biomarkers, imaging modalities such as ultrasound and elastography, and, in selected cases, liver biopsy for staging disease severity.