Steatohepatitis

Steatohepatitis is a type of fatty liver disease, characterized by inflammation of the liver with concurrent fat accumulation in liver. Mere deposition of fat in the liver is termed steatosis, and together these constitute fatty liver changes.

There are 2 main types of fatty liver disease (FLD):


 * Metabolic Dysfunction Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) (previously non-alcoholic fatty liver disease or NAFLD)
 * Alcohol-associated (Alcohol-related) Liver Disease (ALD)

Risk factors for MASLD include diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome. When inflammation is present it is referred to as alcoholic steatohepatitis and nonalcoholic (metabolic dysfunction associated) steatohepatitis (MASH, previously NASH). Steatohepatitis of either cause may progress to cirrhosis, and MASH is now believed to be a frequent cause of unexplained cirrhosis (at least in Western societies). MASH is also associated with lysosomal acid lipase deficiency.

The word is from steato-, meaning "fat" and hepatitis, meaning "inflammation of the liver".

Alcoholic steatohepatitis
Chronic alcohol intake commonly causes steatohepatitis.

Metabolic Dysfunction Associated Steatohepatitis (MASH)
Previously known as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is fatty liver disease due to causes other than alcohol. No pharmacological treatment has received approval as of 2015 for NASH. Some studies suggest diet, exercise, and antiglycemic drugs may alter the course of the disease. General recommendations include improving metabolic risk factors and reducing alcohol intake. NASH was first described in 1980 in a series of patients of the Mayo Clinic. Its relevance and high prevalence were recognized mainly in the 1990s. Some think NASH is a diagnosis of exclusion, and many cases may in fact be due to other causes.