Context:

Anthony Villiotti shares his journey of being diagnosed with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), a serious liver disease he unknowingly lived with for years due to a lack of symptoms and awareness. Initially identified at risk for fatty liver disease in 2005, Villiotti's condition was not treated with urgency, leading to a progression to MASH and eventually liver cancer by 2014, necessitating a liver transplant. Reflecting on his experience, he regrets not being informed earlier about the consequences of fatty liver disease, which could have been managed with lifestyle changes. Villiotti now advocates for liver health through his nonprofit organization, Liver Education Advocates, aiming to prevent others from undergoing similar ordeals. He emphasizes the importance of early detection and proactive management of liver health, urging healthcare providers to take a more aggressive approach with fatty liver diagnoses to prevent progression to severe stages like MASH.

Dive Deeper:

• In 2005, Anthony Villiotti was informed by his primary care physician that he was at high risk for fatty liver disease due to his weight and type 2 diabetes, but the significance and potential progression of the condition were not communicated to him.

• Villiotti lived for nine years without symptoms or awareness of the severity of his condition until a 2014 liver ultrasound, prompted by fluctuating liver enzyme levels, revealed he had progressed to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) with possible cirrhosis.

• The diagnosis came as a shock, as Villiotti associated liver cirrhosis with alcohol and drug use, not realizing that his condition was linked to fat buildup in the liver and unrelated to substance use.

• Over the next few years, despite a lack of symptoms, regular MRIs showed worsening liver scarring, eventually leading to a diagnosis of liver cancer and the need for a liver transplant, which he received after nine months on the transplant list.

• Through his nonprofit, Liver Education Advocates, Villiotti now focuses on spreading awareness and education about liver health, emphasizing the importance of early diagnosis and lifestyle changes to manage fatty liver disease and prevent its progression to more serious conditions like MASH.