S4-E7.4 - AASLD Practice Guidance and Its Influence Outside of the US

Send us Fan MailLate last week, AASLD published new practice guidance on the clinical assessment and management of NAFLD. The Surfers convene with Ken Cusi, who contributed to the previous iteration published in 2018, to explore its key features and implications. The updated document reflects the many advances pertinent to any practitioner caring for patients with NAFLD. This conversation focuses around the influence the guidance imparts outside of the US.Jörn Schattenberg shares that an EASL guideline commission has been set forward which will refer to the AASLD guidance in supporting its development. Louise comments on the density of information made available through the guidance, commending its extensive list of references. She expresses concern that NICE will not tap into what’s available here by remaining restricted to data obtained exclusively within the UK. She goes on to advocate for the enormous potential in constructing a guideline that collectively harnesses the “masses of evidence” available in the different guidances emerging throughout the world. When Roger Green asks whether this will be possible, Louise suggests that NICE might be headed in a less insular direction and cites the approval of FibroScan in primary care settings as a recent “leap of faith.” Lastly, she discusses her desire for an investigation into the dynamics of CAP scores to be included in these documents. Jörn agrees and adds that CAP ultimately provides a barometer for metabolic health. At the end of the session, Ken circles these ideas back to the importance behind screening in at-risk populations.