Steatotic Liver Diseases (SLDs): A Review

Liver steatosis is now the politically correct term for excessive fat in the liver (fatty liver). Its incidence and prevalence, in lockstep with diabetes and obesity, continue to climb to over 2 billion persons worldwide. It is the most common cause of chronic liver disease and the leading cause of liver-related morbidity and mortality. This treatise, resulting from a selection of PubMed literature of relevant steatosis studies since the nomenclature change in 2023, will include the change in the names for the steatotic liver entities, documenting the contribution of metabolic dysfunctions (obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemias) to the pathology of insulin resistance and alcohol in the evolution of these liver diseases. The various modalities for measuring the degree of fat, fibrosis, and cirrhotic scarring of the liver will be discussed, followed by a review of the mortality implications of the subcategories of liver steatosis, including intrahepatic cirrhosis and malignancy, extrahepatic malignancies, and cardiovascular disease. Finally, a review of treatments to address these entities will be briefly reviewed.