Steatotic liver disease (SLD) refers to conditions characterized by an abnormal accumulation of lipids in the liver (hepatic steatosis). They include alcohol-related liver disease (ALD), metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), previously known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), mixed disease linked to alcohol and the metabolic context (MetALD), and rarer etiologies of hepatic steatosis. They affect more than 30% of the population and are the leading cause of cirrhosis. However, only a small proportion of people with steatosis progress to cirrhosis. This is linked to the presence of inflammation and hepatocyte damage, in addition to steatosis. Thanks to joint efforts of various health professionals (general practitioners, hepatologists, endocrinologists) and simple management algorithms, screening for disease severity is possible in at-risk individuals and is recommended by scientific societies.
Keywords
Steatotic liver disease (SLD), MASLD, ALD, MetALD