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.

The two main types of fatty liver disease (FLD) are:

• Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) (previously nonalcoholic 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, "hepat-", meaning liver, and "itis", meaning inflammation, hence "inflammation of the liver".