A large proportion of the U.S. adult population living with chronic liver disease may be completely unaware of their condition, according to data presented at the 2023 annual meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology.
Results of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) showed that 93% of participants contacted were unaware of their diagnosis of metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), and 8.8% were found to have advanced liver disease or fibrosis related to MASLD (abstract P0950).
“People unaware of their fatty liver disease comprise a big risk group,” said lead investigator David S. Kim, MD, from the Department of Internal Medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, in Newark. “These results highlight the need for improved strategies for early detection and intervention to prevent the silent progression of [MASLD] to advanced stages.”