Metabolic Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) – Be Aware and Beware
Mirna Aleckovic-Halilovic1, Mirela Basic-Denjagic2
1 Department of Nephrology, Clinic for Internal Medicine, University Clinical Centre Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina
2 Department of Gastroenterology, Clinic for Internal Medicine, University Clinical Centre Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Corresponding Author: Mirna Aleckovic-Halilovic MD, PhD. Department of Nephrology, Clinic for Internal Medicine, University Clinical Centre Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina; E-mail: mirna.aleckovic@yahoo.com; Phone: +387 35 303-106; ORCID ID: 0000-0002-8962-9053
Cite this article: Aleckovic-Halilovic M, Basic-Denjagic M. Metabolic Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) – Be Aware and Beware. Sar Med J. 2025; 2(1): Online ahead of print. 
10.70119/0027-25
Pages: -/ Published online: 16 February 2025
Original submission: 22 December 2024; Revised submission: 10 January 2025; Accepted: 26 January 2025
Abstract
Metabolic associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is now the most common liver and metabolic disease with rapidly rising prevalence, being among most common causes of liver transplantation, associated with liver mortality, but even more so and earlier in the course of the disease it is underappreciated independent risk factor for cardiovascular (CV) and all-cause mortality. A large body of clinical evidence suggests that MASLD is a multisystem disease whose adverse effects extend far beyond and before the liver gets seriously affected. It has a complex, independent and bidirectional relationship to all MetS components, chronic kidney disease, and CVD, being causal in one and consequential in another patient and that speaks in favor of including liver health assessment in conventional screening of this at-risk population.
Therefore, authors of this editorial call for raising awareness about this condition, write about new nomenclature that better explains what this condition is rather than what it is not, explain how novel simplified positive diagnostic criteria facilitate timely diagnosis and treatment, and offer simple algorithm for evaluation and treatment of liver steatosis in at-risk patients for non hepatologists.
Keywords: liver, metabolic syndrome, cardiometabolic risk factors.
