The American journal of managed care
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Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is characterized by hepatic steatosis that is confirmed by imaging or histology in the setting of at least 1 metabolic risk factor in the absence of significant alcohol consumption. Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH, was recently renamed metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH); it represents the progressive form of MASLD. MASH is defined by hepatic steatosis, lobular inflammation, and ballooning degeneration (hepatocellular injury) in a characteristic histologic pattern. ⋯ Multiple MASH treatment options are in various stages of development. The THR-β agonist resmetirom, approved by FDA in March 2024, offers a liver-directed treatment for those patients living with moderate to severe fibrosis without cirrhosis. Considering the progressive nature of the disease and the availability of a treatment that can be initiated early to halt MASH progression, patients who have risk factors for MASH should urgently be encouraged to visit their health care providers for MASH screening.