Key takeaways from the updated multidisciplinary European MASLD guidelines.

Abstract

The new European clinical practice guidelines from three scientific societies (European Association for the Study of the Liver, European Association for the Study of Diabetes and European Association for the Study of Obesity) on the management of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) provide detailed recommendations on diagnosis, risk stratification, monitoring strategies, treatment and prevention. Lifestyle interventions (eg, weight reduction, Mediterranean diet, exercise, alcohol abstinence) and the treatment of cardiometabolic risk factors continue to be the mainstay of treatment and prevention of the disease. Incretin mimetics that are approved to treat obesity and/or type 2 diabetes such as semaglutide and tirzepatide have benefits for ameliorating metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). Novel developments include adapted strategies for screening (case finding) using non-invasive tests (NITs) with a focus on detecting fibrosis or cirrhosis, risk-adjusted monitoring of MASLD by NITs as well as the recommendation to use, if locally approved, the thyroid hormone receptor β-agonist resmetirom in patients with non-cirrhotic MASH fibrosis (≥F2 stage).