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Medical terminology evolves just as all languages do, with new terms replacing older ones as scientific understanding, clinical practice, or cultural norms change. All three considerations have led to a paradigm shift in the language of hepatology, as an international panel endorsed replacing “nonalcoholic fatty liver disease” (NAFLD) with “metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease” (MASLD), creating a downstream cascade of new diagnostic entities (Hepatology 2023 Dec; 78:1966; Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2024 Jan; 59:150).
MASLD has become not only the most common chronic liver disease in the world but also one of the most common chronic diseases overall, affecting an estimated 30% to 40% of the world's population (J Hepatol 2023 …