MASLD co-aggregates with HCC in families-names change, fa(c)ts remain

Abstract

My invited commentary discusses a recent paper published by Ebrahimi et al. [28 ]. To this end, the definitions of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), and the most recently proposed metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) are reviewed. For brevity, the overarching definition of metabolic fatty liver syndromes (MFLS) is utilized to allude to NAFLD/MAFLD/MASLD collectively, although each nomenclature identifies different diagnostic criteria and identifies distinct patient populations. Ebrahimi and colleagues conducted an analysis using data from the National Swedish Multigeneration archive, involving 38,018 MASLD first-degree relatives (FDRs) and 9,381 MASLD spouses, alongside 197,303 comparator FDRs and 47,572 comparator spouses. They followed these groups for a median of 17.6 years and reported a definite familial aggregation of adverse liver-related events among families of MASLD individuals. These events comprise increased relative risks of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), major chronic liver disease, and mortality owing to hepatic causes. I comment on this study with reference to the ongoing changes in terminology describing MFLS and to sexual dimorphism exhibited by MFLS. It is concluded that the study by Ebrahimi adds another piece to the puzzle of knowledge requested to implement those precision medicine approaches that are eagerly awaited in the field of MFLS.