Patients are often blindsided by a diagnosis of steatotic liver disease. It can be overwhelming to have to figure out a whole new language when talking about your liver, so this guide aims to provide straightforward and easy to understand definitions of terms you will come across in your MASLD/MASH journey. If you would like to see any terms added to this list, please email us at [email protected].

• Alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD): Liver damage caused by excessive alcohol consumption, ranging from steatosis (fat accumulation) to more severe conditions such as alcoholic hepatitis, fibrosis, cirrhosis, and liver failure.

• Biopsy: a surgical procedure to remove a small piece of tissue, so it can be examined under a microscope for signs of damage or disease

• Cholesterol: a waxy, fat-like substance made in the liver and found in the blood and in all cells of the body

• Cirrhosis: late-stage liver disease when healthy liver tissue is replaced by scar tissue and the liver is permanently damaged

• Cryptogenic steatotic liver disease (cryptogenic SLD): A form of steatotic liver disease where the underlying cause is unknown, but it is suspected to be related to metabolic dysfunction in the absence of other identifiable risk factors.

• Endocrinologist: a doctor who specializes in treating diseases associated with the glands and organs that make hormones, such as diabetes, thyroid diseases, and metabolic disorders

• Fibrosis: the formation of excessive scar tissue from repeated or long-lasting inflammation or injury

• Gastroenterologist: a doctor who specializes in treating diseases associated with the digestive tract and liver, such as ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, and liver diseases

• Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC): the most common type of liver cancer, occurring most often in people with chronic liver diseases

• Hepatocyte: a liver cell

• Hepatologist: a doctor who specializes in treating diseases associated with the liver, pancreas, gallbladder, and bile ducts, such as fatty liver disease, cirrhosis, and hepatitis

• Metabolic dysfunction-associated alcohol-related liver disease (MetALD): A condition where excess fat accumulation in the liver occurs in individuals with both metabolic risk factors and significant alcohol consumption, contributing to liver inflammation and fibrosis.
• Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH): An advanced stage of MASLD, characterized by excess fat accumulation in the liver accompanied by inflammation and fibrosis, not caused by excessive alcohol consumption
• Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD): A condition characterized by excess fat accumulation in the liver with little to no inflammation or fibrosis, not caused by excessive alcohol consumption.

• Metabolism: chemical reactions in the body's cells that change food into energy

• Non-invasive test: a medical test that does not involve tools that break skin or enter the body, such as x-ray, MRI, and Fibroscan

• Steatosis: the formation of excessive fat in liver cells

• Steatotic Liver Disease (SLD): An umbrella term, encompassing various causes of liver fat accumulation

• Transplant: a surgical procedure to remove and replace an organ or tissue, which may be necessary if cirrhosis leads to liver failure

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