Diagnosed with earlier stage MASLD (fibrosis stage 0, stage 1 or stage 2)

If MASLD is found early, your care will be managed by your local GP. At this stage, your liver has little or no long-term damage and should still be working well. The good news is that by making some changes to your everyday life, you can repair any damage and reverse your MASLD.

Your GP or practice nurse will talk with you about your weight, diet, and physical activity levels. Together, you can look at small, realistic changes that could fit into your daily routine. They can also support you with managing any other health conditions you may have alongside MASLD. If you need extra help, they can tell you about local services and support available in your area. The aim is to help you build healthy habits that work for you.

See our factsheet about healthy eating

See our factsheet about being more active

If you have MASLD alongside other health issues, it will usually be considered as part of your annual GP long term condition review.

Everyone diagnosed with MASLD should also have tests every 3-5 to check for more serious liver scarring (advanced fibrosis). These checks are important because liver damage often has no symptoms.

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Diagnosed with later stage MASLD (fibrosis stage 3 or stage 4)

If your MASLD has reached a later stage, you may be referred to hospital for further treatment of monitoring. The person in charge of your care will be a liver doctor (hepatologist) or digestive system doctor (gastroenterologist).

There may be other healthcare professionals who can support you in managing MASLD and improving your overall health. They can also support you with other medical conditions you may have alongside your liver disease. This may include:

• a specialist liver nurse
• a dietitian
• a psychologist
• a physical activity specialist

At this stage, your liver has more scarring (fibrosis). This increases the risk of serious problems, such as cirrhosis, liver failure or liver cancer. But it is still possible to stop more damage if you make changes to your everyday life. These changes can help stop your liver condition from getting worse. They may also reverse some of the liver damage.

If you have more advanced liver disease, you may also hear the term metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). This was previously called non-alcohol related steatohepatitis (NASH). This is simply another way that doctors may refer to more advanced liver scarring.

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Diagnosed with cirrhosis

If you have cirrhosis (fibrosis stage 4), your healthcare team will talk to you about any additional treatment or support you may need.

Cirrhosis is serious permanent damage to your liver.

Find out more about cirrhosis

If you have cirrhosis, you may be offered a scan every 6 months to check for signs of liver cancer. This is called surveillance.

For further information, read What happens if my MASLD gets worse?

For help and support contact our nurse-led helpline. They cannot give a diagnosis but can help you understand your results and what should happen next.

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