Nearly 16 million people have the most deadly type of liver disease, yet 80 percent of them have no idea.
About five percent of adults worldwide have metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) a serious liver condition caused by fat buildup, inflammation, and scarring.
It’s the most dangerous type of fatty liver disease MASH triggers liver scarring, which can progress to cirrhosis, and significantly increases the risk of heart disease, chronic kidney disease, and liver cancer.
People with MASH also have a tripled risk of also developing heart disease, including coronary artery disease, stroke, and heart failure, compared to people without the condition.
But severe damage can cause deadly conditions that cut a person’s life drastically short.
The most fatal form of liver disease affects almost 16 million people, but 80% of them are unaware of it.
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), a dangerous liver disease brought on by fat accumulation, inflammation, and scarring, affects approximately 5% of adults globally.
It is fatty liver disease’s most dangerous form.
The risk of heart disease, chronic kidney disease, and liver cancer is greatly increased by MASH, which also causes liver scarring that can lead to cirrhosis.
In reality, only one out of five Americans with the illness receives a diagnosis.
The “silent disease” is characterized by the fact that most patients do not exhibit any symptoms until the damage is irreparable.
However, as the illness worsens, people may feel weak, tired, have pain or discomfort in the upper right abdomen, lose weight for no apparent reason, and occasionally develop jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes).
According to a group of researchers from the US, Europe, and South Africa, liver failure and other complications—including fatalities—caused by MASH are growing more severe and frequent.
The most aggressive form of fatty liver disease is unknown to over 15 million people in the US, UK, Germany, and France, according to recent research.
In their report, which was published in The Lancet Regional Health Europe, the scientists advocate for a doubling of MASH diagnosis rates from the 2022 level, or roughly 13 percent (the current rate is just under 20 percent).
According to their estimation, roughly 2 to 6 million people in the US, UK, Germany, and France have received a MASH diagnosis. However, that number could soar to 631 million if testing were sufficiently enhanced and expanded to become more widely available and accepted.
For blood work and other screening tests, the number of people with type 2 diabetes, obesity, and heart disease should be increased from roughly two million to 36 million.
In order to meet patient needs, follow-up testing must also increase by almost 1,300 percent. This is necessary in settings other than liver clinics, such as family doctor’s offices, as well as with diabetes and heart doctors.
Diabetes increases a person’s risk of developing MASH due to liver damage.
MASH is present in between 30 and 60 percent of diabetics.
According to estimates, 90 percent of those who are obese and 75 percent of those who are overweight will eventually develop obesity, making it another major risk factor.
Compared to those without MASH, those with the condition are also three times more likely to develop heart disease, which includes heart failure, stroke, and coronary artery disease.
Similar to previous advances in the treatment of chronic diseases, MASH diagnosis is about to undergo a significant change.
In the US, UK, Germany, and France, MASH affects approximately 4% of adults, but less than 18% receive a diagnosis. Out of the 20 million cases that could be impacted, 16–7 million remain undiagnosed.
Now that new therapies have been approved and more are planned, attention is shifting to removing systemic barriers.
Due to a lack of non-invasive test options and the need for specialists, the majority of cases go undiagnosed until they are advanced.
MASH results from a chain reaction of liver damage, usually caused by hepatic fat accumulation, which sets off inflammation that damages liver cells and activates cells that form scars.
The liver’s capacity to detoxify blood is gradually undermined as once-healthy liver tissue becomes rigid. However, this is frequently painless until the damage is too great to undo.
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Individuals with MASH can lead normal lives if they are diagnosed early. Changes in lifestyle, such as eating a healthier diet, exercising frequently, and losing five to ten percent of body weight, can help repair some of the damage and slow the progression of MASH.
Resmetirom, the first FDA-approved treatment for MASH, may be prescribed by doctors to complement those lifestyle modifications.
However, serious harm can result in fatal conditions that significantly shorten a person’s life.
“Every late-stage diagnosis of MASH is a lost chance for early intervention to stop the disease’s progression, endangering worse [liver] and [non-liver] outcomes for those who have it and higher costs for people, health systems, and societies,” researchers said this week at a medical conference in Barcelona.
Patients can slow the progression of MASH and even prevent some of the damage by changing their lifestyle and losing weight if they are diagnosed early. Along with weight loss, doctors may also recommend a medication to treat the condition and lessen serious health problems.
The solution necessitates tangible adjustments, such as transferring diagnostics and integrating automated tools into electronic records.
According to the researchers, creating better tests is only one aspect of improving diagnostics. Care delivery methods must be fundamentally redesigned to identify at-risk patients before irreparable harm is done.
They asserted that paradigm shifts don’t happen in a vacuum but rather emerge when advances in science, technology, and innovation are combined with alterations in a community’s perceptions and understandings.
A number of factors in 2024 and anticipated medication approvals in many European nations in 2025 suggest a tipping point for MASH diagnoses in the near future; however, concentrated and persistent work is required to make such opportunities a reality. “…
