Today’s Global Fatty Liver Day events aim to boost awareness of SLD
Advocates worldwide note need for better detection of steatotic liver disease
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Global Fatty Liver Day — being held today on this, the second Thursday of June — is shining a spotlight on steatotic liver disease (SLD), a group of conditions that affects about one-third of the world’s population but which often goes undiagnosed until serious liver damage has already occurred.
Launched in 2018 by the Global Liver Institute (GLI) as International NASH Day, Global Fatty Liver Day is now marking its eighth year with a renewed call for advocacy. The campaign aims to raise awareness of SLD, encourage screening, and drive action to improve liver health worldwide.
An online panel discussion, to be held at 10:30 a.m. ET, will bring together SLD experts to examine the current state of the field and where it is headed. Topics will include growing global recognition of SLD, evolving disease terminology, and advances in diagnosis and treatment. Policy efforts to improve liver health worldwide are also a priority that will be addressed, advocates say.
This year’s Global Fatty Liver Day comes as community members and healthcare organizations push for greater screening, earlier diagnosis, and improved access to care for patients across the continents. These efforts follow the recent adoption of a World Health Organization (WHO) resolution recognizing SLD as a global public health priority that demands urgent action.
“The adoption of the recent WHO resolution on SLD, advanced through years of advocacy led by Global Liver Institute alongside global partners, comes at a pivotal time,” Larry R. Holden, president and CEO of GLI, said in an emailed statement to Liver Disease News. “Our Global Fatty Liver Day campaign reminds us to act now, to put people at the center, encourage early detection and screening, and act with the urgency this global epidemic demands.”
SLD, previously known as fatty liver disease, refers to a group of conditions characterized by excess fat in the liver. The most common form, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), previously known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, occurs in the context of other metabolic disorders, such as obesity, diabetes, or high blood fat levels.
In some people, the buildup of fat can trigger liver inflammation and scarring, or fibrosis, leading to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), formerly nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH. If left untreated, MASH can progress to cirrhosis, characterized by irreversible liver scarring, as well as liver cancer and/or the need for a liver transplant.
1 in 3 adults worldwide live with liver disease
Worldwide, 1 in 3 adults has MASLD, and about one-quarter of them will develop MASH. However, many people aren’t aware they have SLD because the disease often causes no noticeable symptoms until it has progressed to more advanced stages, at which point it is much harder to treat.
The importance of identifying MASLD before it progresses to MASH was also underscored by Wayne Eskridge, founder and CEO of the Fatty Liver Foundation (FLF), who has lived with MASH-related cirrhosis for more than 15 years.
“We often hear patients relate being told that a little fibrosis is no big thing. In fact, [moderate liver fibrosis] MASH is more hazardous than smoking. We care very much about that. About the liver, not so much,” Eskridge said, in an emailed statement to Liver Disease News. “Like all disease, early detection is key. Global Fatty Liver Day reminds us to learn more about this vital organ.”
The FLF is calling for wider adoption of screening guidelines for SLD, arguing that a gap between published recommendations and routine clinical practice continues to leave millions of people undiagnosed.
“The screening protocol exists on paper, but it hasn’t reached the exam room,” Eskridge said in a foundation press release. “We now have [U.S. Food and Drug Administration]-approved treatments that can intervene before cirrhosis, but they only work for people who have been found and staged. If you’re never screened, you never get that chance. I know, because I’m on the other side of that line.”
Those concerns reflect one of the central goals of Global Fatty Liver Day: ensuring that more people at risk are identified and treated before irreversible liver damage occurs.
That’s according to Henry E. Chang, FLF’s executive director, who noted that this day, marked worldwide, “is about closing that gap.” The foundation “is committed to making sure no one progresses to cirrhosis simply because they were never tested,” Chang said.
Raising awareness key to early detection, advocates say
An estimated 1.8 billion people worldwide are expected to be living with some form of SLD by 2030, according to current predictions.
“Global Fatty Liver Day exists to change this trajectory — by accelerating awareness, promoting early detection, and catalyzing meaningful action to improve liver health worldwide,” GLI stated on the event website.
To help community members raise awareness, GLI has created an online toolkit featuring ready-made social media posts, infographics, and educational resources available in English and more than a dozen other languages.
Policy alone is not enough. Real progress depends on coordinated, cross-sector collaboration — bringing together governments, healthcare providers, researchers, industry, advocates, and communities to act with urgency.
Supporters are encouraged to share content about SLD using the hashtag #fattyliverday and tag the Global Liver Institute to amplify its reach, as well as submit personal stories to help others better understand the impact of the disease and inspire action.
Organizers are also encouraging supporters to get involved by hosting or participating in local and virtual events, partnering with community organizations, promoting liver health screenings, and advocating for policies that improve access to care.
“With the adoption of the WHO resolution, we now have unprecedented global alignment and recognition,” Holden said in a separate GLI press release. “But policy alone is not enough. Real progress depends on coordinated, cross-sector collaboration — bringing together governments, healthcare providers, researchers, industry, advocates, and communities to act with urgency. Together, across borders and disciplines, we can transform awareness into action and ensure that no patient is left behind.”
