MAFLD: How is it different from NAFLD?

Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is the term suggested in 2020 to refer to fatty liver disease related to systemic metabolic dysregulation. The name change from nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) to MAFLD comes with a simple set of criteria to enable easy diagnosis at the bedside for the general medical community, including primary care physicians. Since the introduction of the term, there have been key areas in which the superiority of MAFLD over the traditional NAFLD terminology has been demonstrated, including for the risk of liver and extrahepatic mortality, disease associations, and for identifying high-risk individuals. Additionally, MAFLD has been adopted by a number of leading pan-national and national societies due to its concise diagnostic criterion, removal of the requirement to exclude concomitant liver diseases, and reduction in the stigma associated with this condition. The current article explores the differences between MAFLD and NAFLD diagnosis, areas of benefit, some potential limitations, and how the MAFLD terminology has opened up new fields of research.

Automated summary

Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a term introduced in 2020 to describe fatty liver disease associated with systemic metabolic dysregulation. The name change from nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) to MAFLD comes with a simple set of criteria for easy diagnosis, and it has shown superiority in various aspects compared to NAFLD, including liver and extrahepatic mortality, disease associations, and identification of high-risk individuals. MAFLD has been adopted by many national and international societies due to its concise diagnostic criterion, removal of exclusionary criteria, and reduction in stigmatization. This article explores the differences between MAFLD and NAFLD diagnosis, benefits, limitations, and the impact of MAFLD terminology on research.