Nearly half of all U.S. adults could suffer from chronic liver disease by 2050, according to new research that projects a massive surge in cases requiring transplants and specialized care.
The study predicts that metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) will affect 121.9 million adults—about 41 percent of the U.S. population.
Liver Disease Cases to Surge by 2050
The new study, published in JAMA Network Open on Jan. 17, projected that by 2050, the number of adults suffering from MASLD, formally known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, could increase from the 86.3 million who had it in 2020 to approximately 121.9 million. This accounts for 41.4 percent of the adult U.S. population.
George Citroner
Author
George Citroner reports on health and medicine, covering topics that include cancer, infectious diseases, and neurodegenerative conditions. He was awarded the Media Orthopaedic Reporting Excellence (MORE) award in 2020 for a story on osteoporosis risk in men.
