WONCA Europe position statement on the redefinition of fatty liver disease

WONCA Europe expresses its full endorsement of the new term and definition for metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD).  Our position is motivated by the challenges that the term non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) poses for clinical practice and research. Family doctors in Europe face obvious challenges on how to implement the NAFLD definition in daily practice. This is reflected by the scarcity of unified primary care guidelines for the disease. NAFLD is underdiagnosed in primary care, with studies indicating a prevalence of recorded NAFLD diagnoses of just 2–5%, much lower than the estimated population prevalence of 25–30%.

WONCA Europe and all its network organisations are ready to join the process towards a global adoption of a universal definition of MAFLD.

Vinker S, Frese T, Hummers E, Ketiš ZK, Windak A, Petrazzuoli F, Bueno-Ortiz JM, Asenova R, Poppleton A, Méndez-Sánchez N. WONCA Europe position statement on the redefinition of fatty liver disease. Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2022 Oct 13:S2468-1253(22)00333-8. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-1253(22)00333-8