Health experts issue stark warning about a disease that's silently killing millions: Are you at risk?
Global health experts are urgently calling for increased awareness and early detection of chronic liver diseases like MASLD and MASH, which silently affect millions worldwide. A recent meeting in Barcelona highlighted the need for improved diagnostic rates, person-centered care, and concrete actions like routine screening to combat the growing public health threat.
A silent health crisis is sweeping across the globe, affecting millions, yet most people are unaware whether they have it. Now, leading health experts are calling for immediate action, warning that without early detection and a shift in medical priorities, the consequences could be devastating.
Chronic liver disease is growing silently, and the experts have warned about the urgent need to improve detection to prevent its impact globally. In a global meeting held in Barcelona, Spain earlier this week (Jun 2025), 100 international experts issued a stark warning: millions of people will continue to go unseen by healthcare systems unless early detection and person-centred care for liver disease are prioritised without delay.
The article is published in
The Lancet Regional Health Europe
.
A common but silent disease
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) affects around 33% of adults across the world. Its more aggressive form - metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), affects an estimated 5% of the general population. Those with type 2 diabetes, obesity, or other cardiometabolic risk factors are at significantly higher risk. What increases the severity of MASH is that, it often shows no symptoms, until it reaches an advanced stage, where it can progress to cirrhosis or liver cancer.
What are the experts saying
The leading hepatology and metabolic health experts have urged the healthcare systems to double the MASH diagnosis rate by 2027, because this advanced disease affects millions silently, yet is rarely detected early. Lack of early detection worsens outcomes and also increases the healthcare burden globally. The experts have emphasized about using non-invasive tools and AI-based technologies to identify at-risk patients in primary care.
They also noted that effective treatments must go hand in hand with better diagnosis.
They also proposed that concrete actions such as routine screening for at-risk groups, integrating liver testing into regular health check-ups, updating reimbursement policies, and fostering collaboration across primary care, endocrinology, cardiology, and patient organisations, should be taken to eliminate the growing public threat by 2030.
'The future of the fight against MASH lies in anticipation: not only treating advanced patients but also identifying those without fibrosis early on. This shift towards preventive hepatology is key to improving the metabolic health of millions around the world,' Jeffrey Lazarus, Head of the Public Health Liver Group at ISGlobal, and lead author of the study, said in a statement.
Need for a new perspective
At the same time, over 40 experts have released the
People-First Liver Charter
in
Nature Medicine
, calling for a change in how we talk about and treat liver disease.
They emphasized the need to end the stigma that often delays diagnosis and care. The Charter urges using respectful, person-first language and care that focuses on the patient, not just the disease. This shift is meant to increase empathy, reduce unfair treatment, and support global efforts to use more inclusive terms for liver diseases. Over 70 organisations have backed this initiative.
Chronic liver disease rising in Spain
Fatty liver
A policy brief on Spain presented during the meeting revealed alarming trends.
Approximately eight million people in Spain were living with MASLD in 2021. This is expected to increase to 12.7 million (27.6% of the population) by 2030. An estimated 1.8 million cases of MASH were reported in 2016. MASH-related mortality is expected to double, reaching around 7,590 by 2030. The healthcare burden could become more than double, from $1.48 billion in 2021 to $3.5 billion in 2040.
'We recommend a national strategy led by the Ministry of Health and in close collaboration with all autonomous communities that includes a MASLD registry, its inclusion in key health indicators, enhanced training for healthcare professionals, automated diagnosis in primary care, and strengthened community-based services,' Lazarus warned.
7 Ways to check for fatty liver at home
Despite affecting more than 1.5 billion people worldwide, chronic liver diseases remain largely excluded from global non-communicable disease (NCD) strategies. As the United Nations High-Level Meeting on NCDs is set to take place in Sep. 2025, the experts have urged for immediate action.
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