Dr. Lai Wei’s Team at Tsinghua Chang Gung: Latest Developments in the Nationwide “MAFLD Epidemiological Survey Research Project” on Health Check-up
In 2020, the international expert consensus on metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) proposed a new definition, suggesting MAFLD as a more appropriate term to describe liver diseases related to metabolic dysfunction. According to the latest standards, patients with liver fat deposition meet at least one of the following three criteria: overweight or obesity, type 2 diabetes, or the presence of metabolic dysfunction (if their weight is normal).
To comprehensively understand the current status of MAFLD in China, promote awareness among medical professionals and patients, and increase the diagnosis rate of the disease, in 2022, the National Health Examination Population "MAFLD Epidemiological Survey Research Project," led by Dr. Lai Wei of Tsinghua University Affiliated Beijing Tsinghua Chang Gung Hospital and co-initiated by the China Liver Health Promotion Center, was successfully launched. The two latest research findings from the project have been included in the 2023 Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD). Dr. Lai Wei has been invited by the Hepatology Digest to provide a detailed introduction to these two studies, the content of which is shared below.