6th Annual NASH Day continues the push for awareness about nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)

June 8, 2023 marks the 6th annual International NASH Day - a public education campaign to raise awareness and immediacy around fatty liver disease and its more progressive form: NASH (nonalcoholic steatohepatitis).

According to the Global Liver Institute, a nonprofit liver health advocacy organization, NASH is a hidden epidemic affecting more than 115 million people globally.

Furthermore, an estimated 357 million people will be affected by 2030. Because NASH symptoms are often not overt, NASH is often underdiagnosed and underreported. NAFLD and NASH are major risk factors for concurrent conditions: more than 70% of patients are obese, up to 75% have type 2 diabetes, and anywhere from 20-80% have hyperlipidemia. Unchecked, NASH may lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer, and liver transplant.

International NASH Day brings together key players - physicians, advocates, and other experts- to exchange and share the most up-to-date insights on prevention, diagnosing, and management of fatty liver disease.

The goal: create and grow an informed global community in order to reduce the widespread presence of fatty liver disease.

“Raising awareness about fatty liver disease and NASH along with sharing actionable steps people can take to prevent the disease has become an integral part of the work we do here at Methodist Transplant Specialists,” says Dr. Ashwini Mehta, transplant hepatologist.

For more information about fatty liver disease and NASH, please read our Q&A with two of our liver specialists.