Global fatty‑liver surge
A Lancet‑linked analysis projects metabolic dysfunction‑associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) could affect about 1.8 billion people by 2050, up from roughly 1.3 billion in 2023. (ajmc.com) The study cites rising obesity and high blood‑sugar rates and estimated global MASLD prevalence at about 16.1% in 2023. (ajmc.com)
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease — fat buildup in the liver tied to blood sugar, weight, and blood pressure — could affect about 1.8 billion people by 2050. (thelancet.com) Researchers estimated about 1.3 billion people were living with the disease in 2023, equal to 16.1% of the global population, using Global Burden of Disease 2023 data from 204 countries and territories. (thelancet.com) The same analysis projected a roughly 38% increase in cases by 2050, with population growth identified as the main driver and sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, and the Middle East facing the steepest absolute increases. (ajmc.com) Doctors renamed the condition from nonalcoholic fatty liver disease to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease in 2023 to focus on the metabolic risks behind it, not just alcohol use. The new definition requires liver fat plus at least one cardiometabolic risk factor. (aasld.org) Those risks are rising worldwide. The World Health Organization said 890 million adults were living with obesity in 2022, while the International Diabetes Federation estimated 11.1% of adults ages 20 to 79 were living with diabetes in 2024. (who.int) (idf.org) Many people have no symptoms for years, even as fat, inflammation, and scar tissue build up in the liver. The European Association for the Study of the Liver said the disease is already the second leading cause of end-stage liver disease and liver transplantation in Europe and the United States. (ajmc.com) (journal-of-hepatology.eu) Treatment options remain limited. AJMC’s report on the Lancet paper said resmetirom and semaglutide are among the medicines drawing attention, while drug developers are also testing fibroblast growth factor 21 analogues. (ajmc.com) The study authors argued that liver disease is still missing from major United Nations and World Health Organization targets for noncommunicable diseases, even as case counts keep climbing. By 2050, the projection points to a liver condition that is common, often silent, and increasingly tied to the global rise in obesity and diabetes. (ajmc.com)
