The American Gastroenterological Association introduced an updated clinical care pathway for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), formerly known as NAFLD. The update reflects new disease terminology, emerging therapies, and improved noninvasive tools for identifying and managing patients at risk.
The pathway provides clinicians with a structured approach to screening, diagnosis, and risk stratification, including identifying patients at risk of fibrosis, performing routine history and blood tests, using noninvasive fibrosis scoring tools, and confirming risk through liver stiffness measurements or specialized blood tests. MASLD affects about 30% of U.S. adults and up to 65% of people with type 2 diabetes, making standardized care pathways increasingly important.