Renaming NAFLD to MAFLD: Advantages and Potential Changes in Diagnosis, Pathophysiology, Treatment, and Management

In recent years, with the increasing incidence of obesity and other metabolic diseases, the prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has increased and it has become a major health problem affecting more than one quarter of the world's population. Recently, experts reached a consensus that NAFLD does not reflect the current knowledge, and metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) was suggested as a more appropriate term. MAFLD is not just a simple renaming of NAFLD. The definition of MAFLD allows a patient to have dual (or more) etiologies for their liver disease, which will help to exclude more heterogeneous patients. In this review, we introduce the significant differences between the definitions of NAFLD and MAFLD. In addition, we also describe the advantages of the term MAFLD in the pathophysiology, therapy, and patient management.

Automated summary

In recent years, there has been an increasing prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) due to the rising incidence of obesity and other metabolic diseases. To better describe this condition, experts have proposed a more appropriate term - metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). Compared to NAFLD, MAFLD allows for a broader definition and helps exclude patients with heterogeneous liver diseases.