AASLD welcomes momentum in elevating lifelong liver health as a global public health priority
The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) welcomes the World Health Organization (WHO) Executive Board’s recent decision to advance proposals to expand the global definition of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) to formally include liver diseases and inherited bleeding disorders. This resolution, set to be tabled at the World Health Assembly in May 2026, represents a critical step forward in global recognition of liver health as a significant health priority.
For AASLD and the global hepatology community, this consideration by WHO reflects years of scientific evidence demonstrating that liver diseases are among the leading causes of preventable illness and death worldwide. Conditions such as metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), viral hepatitis, and alcohol-associated liver disease are closely intertwined with other NCD risk factors. Inclusion within the NCD framework would strengthen global surveillance, elevate recognition and attention to liver disease within national health agendas, and accelerate integration of liver health into prevention and primary care efforts. This move also reflects growing recognition of the liver’s central role in overall health and close associations with conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, metabolic dysfunction, and more.
AASLD has longstanding relationships with international partners, U.S. policymakers, and clinicians to advance liver health through research, education, and advocacy across borders. This shift has the potential to transform how liver disease is addressed worldwide, particularly as metabolic risk factors continue to rise.
“AASLD strongly supports this expansion of the NCD definition as a pivotal moment in improving liver health around the globe,” said Saul Karpen, MD, PhD, FAASLD, AASLD President. “Formal inclusion of liver diseases in the global NCD agenda will help ensure that national health systems prioritize surveillance, prevention, early diagnosis, and equitable access to care; closing longstanding gaps that contribute to preventable morbidity and mortality.”
“WHO is recognizing what clinicians and researchers around the world have long understood: liver health is inseparable from global NCD prevention and management. This step will help drive coordinated international action, inform policy decisions, and ultimately improve outcomes for millions of people living with liver disease and identifying those at risk at the earliest stages, included childhood,” Dr. Karpen continued.
AASLD encourages WHO Member States, partners, and national governments to adopt a comprehensive definition of NCDs at the upcoming World Health Assembly and to support policies that integrate liver health into national NCD plans, strengthen health systems, and promote primary care access for all.