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MASLD AI 08:12 PM
September 2025
Emily Przybyl, PA-C, breaks down the basics of Steatotic Liver Disease (SLD) and the updated MASLD/MASH nomenclature—what changed, why it matters, and how to apply it in daily practice. You'll learn how to distinguish MASLD, MetALD, and alcohol-associated liver disease, interpret alcohol exposure (weekly vs. daily intake), and recognize non-metabolic causes of steatosis (DILI, monogenic disorders, viral hepatitis). Emily walks through primary care–friendly risk assessment using FIB-4, when to order VCTE/FibroScan or the ELF test, when to refer to hepatology, and when liver biopsy is still the right move in discordant cases.
Using a real patient case, Emily demonstrates a stepwise chronic liver disease workup (viral serologies, iron studies, autoimmune markers, celiac, A1AT, HIV, lipids, A1C, and PEth for alcohol), plus how ultrasound findings (steatosis, smooth contour, spleen size) inform staging. She reviews natural history and progression (who’s at risk to advance to fibrosis/cirrhosis), the roles of genetics and the gut microbiome, and practical counseling on lifestyle modification—BMI/waist thresholds by ethnicity, cardiometabolic risk control, and culturally sensitive nutrition and exercise plans. Perfect for APPs, primary care, and hepatology teams looking for a clear, actionable primer on MASLD/MASH.
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