Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) Name Change: Requiem or Reveille?

ABSTRACT: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affects about a quarter of the world's population and poses a major health and economic burden globally. Recently, there have been hasty attempts to rename NAFLD to metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) despite the fact that there is no scientific rationale for this. Quest for a "positive criterion" to diagnose the disease and destigmatizing the disease have been the main reasons put forth for the name change. A close scrutiny of the pathogenesis of NAFLD would make it clear that NAFLD is a heterogeneous disorder, involving different pathogenic mechanisms of which metabolic dysfunction-driven hepatic steatosis is only one. Replacing NAFLD with MAFLD would neither enhance the legitimacy of clinical practice and clinical trials, nor improve

SUBMITTER: Singh SP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8666378 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature