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As the NASH pandemic grows in the number and diversity of patient cases, one patient group receiving increased notice includes patients with "lean NASH," those whose BMI levels are "normal." Last month, Gastroenterology published Best Practice recommendations for diagnosing and treating lean NASH. Two of the authors, Drs. Michelle Long and Mazen Noureddin, were good enough to come on the podcast to share the thinking behind this article along with its key observations and recommendations.

This conversation starts with Roger Green asking Michelle and Mazen how they came to write this piece and how the paper came together working with co-author, Dr. Joseph Lim. First, as Michelle notes, "we had to all get on the same page," on the issue of the highest BMI that would be considered lean or, more precisely, not overweight. From there, the team outlined 15 Best Practices based on clinical experience, and set out to refine these based on relevant literature and recommendations from colleagues and reviewers. The co-authors note that while little of what they learned while preparing this paper was surprising, it forced them to focus on creating a fairly simple set of stepwise goals for clinicians to follow.  Louise Campbell joins the conversation to praise the simplicity and clarity of the Best Practices chart the co-authors created. 

After noting that this algorithm is not very different from others,  Mazen goes on to mention "a couple of things...that we’re proud of:" identification of high-risk patients based on age (over 40) or presence of Type 2 diabetes. He also notes that they provided greater clarity around more advanced non-invasive tests like ELF, MAST, FAST, MEFIB, MRI, and cT1.

The conversation shifts to focus on the recommendation to retest every 6 or 12 months. Louise notes this approvingly. The group agrees that screening T2D patients annually using FIB-4 is not very different than screening annually for eye, kidney or neurological complications. Roger Green joins the conversation to suggest a 3-5 year follow-up recommendation is not patient-centric, but might calm payers concerned about skyrocketing costs of treating Fatty Liver disease. Mazen shares his expectation that yearly evaluation will be cost-effective and patient-centric. Roger shares an informal belief he has developed that whether due to later stage diagnoses or different disease pathogenesis, lean NASH patients might be more costly because patients progress to cirrhosis more quickly after the original diagnosis. Michelle tends to agree but notes that more research is needed on this.

Next, the conversation shifts toward diagnostic approaches. Roger mentions the possible benefit of the "Fibrosis First" method that Ian Rowe discussed the previous week (S3, E39), particularly appropriate when primary care providers observe danger signs in lean patients. Mazen points to extremely elevated liver enzyme levels (ALT of 80 or 90). Michelle agrees, but notes that most of her lean NASH patients are diagnosed in an ED with complications of cirrhosis. The group then spends time asking what might make primary care providers comfortable testing for fibrosis, even if only to pass the patient on to the appropriate specialist.  

Roger asks what different groups can learn from this paper. Michelle states that this is a clear call for more research. Mazen points to Table 2 in the paper, which lists other diseases that hepatologists should consider when evaluating these patients. He continues to state that the document is helpful for non-hepatologists and hepatologists alike. Finally, he points out that clinical trials are pivotal for these patients. 

The last several moments focus on how to ask patients about alcohol consumption and then the closing question. Michelle notes the importance of using lists and tables in the paper to guide the special issues in treating these patients.

S3-E40 - Best Practices in Lean NASH -- Authors Provide Back Story

Drug developers, investors, researchers, and corporate executives wrestle weekly to understand what is happening in commercial development of NASH medications. Hepatology researcher and Key Opinion Leader Stephen Harrison, M.D., C-suite veteran Peter Traber, M.D., and Forecasting and pricing guru Roger Green, M.B.A. discuss the issues affecting the evolving NASH market from their own unique perspectives on the Surfing the NASH Tsunami podcast.

S3-E40 - Best Practices in Lean NASH -- Authors Provide Back Story

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