AB150. Beyond the liver, across borders: MASLD among East and Southeast Asian countries
Abstract

AB150. Beyond the liver, across borders: MASLD among East and Southeast Asian countries

Jonathan Jaime G. Guerrero1,2, Paolo C. Encarnacion1,2, Shu-Fen Liao3, Ching-Wen Chang4,5,6,7

1College of Medicine, University of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines; 2College of Public Health, University of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines; 3School of Public Health, College of Public Health, Taipei Medical University, Taipei; 4Graduate Institute of Metabolism and Obesity Sciences, Taipei Medical University, Taipei; 5Department of Medical Research, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei; 6TMU Research Center for Digestive Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei; 7Taipei Cancer Center, Taipei Medical University, Taipei

Background: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a growing public health concern in East and Southeast Asia, where rapid urbanization, dietary changes, and increasing obesity, diabetes, and hypertension fuel a rising disease burden. Unique genetic predispositions, including PNPLA3 and TM6SF2 variants, further accelerate disease progression in these populations. Despite the escalating burden, MASLD remains underdiagnosed and undertreated, especially in low-resource settings with limited healthcare access. In this paper, we aim to synthesize the current status of MASLD in East and Southeast Asia and highlight gaps and challenges to better improve diagnosis and management.

Methods: This narrative review synthesized evidence from online journal repositories, focusing on MASLD epidemiology, prevalence, genetic contributions, dietary influences, and healthcare challenges across East and Southeast Asia.

Results: MASLD prevalence varies widely across the region, with urbanized areas and higher-income countries reporting greater rates. Although genetic variants contribute to disease susceptibility, environmental and socioeconomic determinants—such as diet, access to care, and comorbidity burden—play substantial roles. High-risk subgroups, including children, older adults, lean MASLD, and individuals with metabolic comorbidities, face unique vulnerabilities, worsened by the scarcity of population-specific epidemiologic data. Limited incorporation of MASLD management into primary care and unequal access to diagnostic tools impede timely diagnosis and intervention.

Conclusions: Strengthening primary healthcare capacity and integrating MASLD into existing metabolic disease programs are essential to improving early detection, risk stratification, and treatment across East and Southeast Asia

Keywords: East Asia; lifestyle; metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD); metabolic; Southeast Asia

Footnote

Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Open Access Statement: This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits the non-commercial replication and distribution of the article with the strict proviso that no changes or edits are made and the original work is properly cited (including links to both the formal publication through the relevant DOI and the license). See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.

doi: 10.21037/jphe-26-ab150
Cite this abstract as: Guerrero JJG, Encarnacion PC, Liao SF, Chang CW. AB150. Beyond the liver, across borders: MASLD among East and Southeast Asian countries. J Public Health Emerg 2026;10:AB150.

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