The DOI matches its Crossref record; 25 of the 25 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
From NAFLD to MAFLD: Implications of a Premature Change in Terminology
Abstract
Despite the substantial gains in our understanding of NAFLD/NASH over the past 2 decades, there has been some dissatisfaction with the terminology “non‐alcoholic” which overemphasizes “alcohol” and underemphasizes the root cause of this liver disease, namely, the predisposing metabolic risk factors. As a potential remedy, a name change from NAFLD to metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) has been proposed. Although MAFLD reflects the relevant risk factors for this liver disease, this term is still suboptimal, leaving a great deal of ambiguity. Here, we caution that changing the name without understanding its broad implications can have a negative impact on the field. In this context, changing the terminology without new understanding of the molecular basis of the disease entity, new insights in risk stratification or other important aspect of this liver disease, can create unnecessary confusion which could negatively impact the field. At a time when the field is facing substantial challenges around disease awareness as well as clarity of acceptable endpoints for drug development and biomarker discovery, changing the terminology from one suboptimal name to another suboptimal name without full assessment is expected to deepen these challenges. In the context of this debate about terminology, we recommend the creation of a true international consensus group to include all the relevant scientific liver societies (AASLD, EASL, ALEH, APASL), patient advocacy organizations, bio‐pharmaceutical industry, regulatory agencies and policy makers. A consensus meeting must assess the impact and consequences of changing the terminology based on the available evidence and make recommendations that will move the field forward. By this approach, a true collaborative international and inclusive consensus can be adopted by all stakeholders dealing with this important global liver disease.
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Cites
Younossi, Z. M., Koenig, A. B., Abdelatif, D., Fazel, Y., Henry, L., & Wymer, M. (2016) · Hepatology · doi:10.1002/hep.28431 · Cited by 10,781
Self-citationChalasani, N., Younossi, Z., Lavine, J. E., Charlton, M., Cusi, K., Rinella, M., Harrison, S. A., Brunt, E. M., & Sanyal, A. J. (2018) · Hepatology · doi:10.1002/hep.29367 · Cited by 7,239
Self-citationGlobal burden of NAFLD and NASH: trends, predictions, risk factors and prevention
Younossi, Z., Anstee, Q. M., Marietti, M., Hardy, T., Henry, L., Eslam, M., George, J., & Bugianesi, E. (2018) · Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology · doi:10.1038/nrgastro.2017.109 · Cited by 5,249
Self-citationEslam, M., Newsome, P. N., Sarin, S. K., Anstee, Q. M., Targher, G., Romero-Gomez, M., Zelber-Sagi, S., Wai-Sun Wong, V., Dufour, J.-F., Schattenberg, J. M., et al. (2020) · Journal of Hepatology · doi:10.1016/j.jhep.2020.03.039 · Cited by 4,472
Mechanisms of NAFLD development and therapeutic strategies
Friedman, S. L., Neuschwander-Tetri, B. A., Rinella, M., & Sanyal, A. J. (2018) · Nature Medicine · doi:10.1038/s41591-018-0104-9 · Cited by 4,354
Self-citationNonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a spectrum of clinical and pathological severity.
MATTEONI, C., YOUNOSSI, Z., GRAMLICH, T., BOPARAI, N., LIU, Y., & MCCULLOUGH, A. (1999) · Gastroenterology · doi:10.1016/s0016-5085(99)70506-8 · Cited by 3,345
Self-citationMAFLD: a consensus-driven proposed nomenclature for metabolic associated fatty liver disease
Eslam, M., Sanyal, A. J., George, J., Sanyal, A., Neuschwander-Tetri, B., Tiribelli, C., Kleiner, D. E., Brunt, E., Bugianesi, E., Yki-Järvinen, H., et al. (2020) · Gastroenterology · doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2019.11.312 · Cited by 3,286
Self-citationEstes, C., Razavi, H., Loomba, R., Younossi, Z., & Sanyal, A. J. (2018) · Hepatology · doi:10.1002/hep.29466 · Cited by 2,399
Self-citationNonalcoholic Steatohepatitis: Summary of An Aasld Single Topic Conference
Neuschwander-Tetri, B. A., & Caldwell, S. H. (2003) · Hepatology · doi:10.1053/jhep.2003.50193 · Cited by 2,154
Loomba, R., & Sanyal, A. J. (2013) · Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology · doi:10.1038/nrgastro.2013.171 · Cited by 1,641
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A multisociety Delphi consensus statement on new fatty liver disease nomenclature
Rinella, M. E., Lazarus, J. V., Ratziu, V., Francque, S. M., Sanyal, A. J., Kanwal, F., Romero, D., Abdelmalek, M. F., Anstee, Q. M., Arab, J. P., et al. (2023) · Hepatology · doi:10.1097/hep.0000000000000520 · Cited by 3,476
“One area of particular concern was the potential negative impact of changes in diagnostic criteria for the disease in terms of biomarker and therapeutic development [7,9,10].”
Self-citationA multisociety Delphi consensus statement on new fatty liver disease nomenclature
Rinella, M. E., Lazarus, J. V., Ratziu, V., Francque, S. M., Sanyal, A. J., Kanwal, F., Romero, D., Abdelmalek, M. F., Anstee, Q. M., Arab, J. P., et al. (2023) · Journal of Hepatology · doi:10.1016/j.jhep.2023.06.003 · Cited by 3,100
Self-citationNon-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Powell, E. E., Wong, V. W.-S., & Rinella, M. (2021) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(20)32511-3 · Cited by 2,789
Self-citationGlobal epidemiology of NAFLD-related HCC: trends, predictions, risk factors and prevention
Huang, D. Q., El-Serag, H. B., & Loomba, R. (2021) · Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology · doi:10.1038/s41575-020-00381-6 · Cited by 1,855
Self-citationA multisociety Delphi consensus statement on new fatty liver disease nomenclature
Rinella, M. E., Lazarus, J. V., Ratziu, V., Francque, S. M., Sanyal, A. J., Kanwal, F., Romero, D., Abdelmalek, M. F., Anstee, Q. M., Arab, J. P., et al. (2024) · Annals of Hepatology · doi:10.1016/j.aohep.2023.101133 · Cited by 844
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Metadata
- Authors
- Younossi, Z. M., Rinella, M. E., Sanyal, A. J., Harrison, S. A., Brunt, E. M., Goodman, Z., Cohen, D. E., & Loomba, R.
- Venue
- Hepatology
- Published
- 2021-02-06
- Volume
- 73
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 1194-1198
- ISSN
- 0270-9139 (ISSN-L)
- 1527-3350
- OpenAlex
- W3034631925
- Cited by
- 417
- References
- 25
- FWCI
- 43.62
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
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- Younossi, Z. M., Rinella, M. E., Sanyal, A. J., Harrison, S. A., Brunt, E. M., Goodman, Z., Cohen, D. E., & Loomba, R. (2021). From NAFLD to MAFLD: Implications of a Premature Change in Terminology. Hepatology. https://doi.org/10.1002/hep.31420
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