Commentary: Metabolic associated liver disease: an inevitable terminological evolution in real practice

G. Testino

Unit of Addiction and Hepatology/Alcohological Regional Centre, ASL3 c/o Polyclinic San Martino Hospital, Genoa, Italy. gianni.testino@asl3.liguria.it

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• Metabolism

In real practice, the patient with liver disease is often the carrier of multiple etiological factors, such as metabolic syndrome (MS) and alcohol consumption (AC). Their co-presence is often underestimated as AC is not adequately studied.

AC is a contributing cause of MS and alcoholic and nonalcoholic liver disease have a substantially overlapping histopathological picture. Moreover, AC and MS are the cause (and the contributing cause) of extra-hepatic morbidity and mortality.

It can be concluded that the possible simplification of terminology at metabolic associated liver disease (MALD) facilitates better communication and cooperation between scientific societies and specialists belonging to different medical sectors, facilitates early identification of related hepatic and extra-hepatic pathology, allows to “see the person in a unitary way”, to create leaner healthcare pathways, to reduce the hospitalization rate with relative cost-benefit advantage and to create unitary prevention and health promotion policies.

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