As a board-certified gastroenterologist and hepatologist, Tampa General Hospital’s Dr. Sonja Olsen is well-versed in the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology’s updated screening guidelines for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). She offers a comprehensive assessment to individuals at risk of NAFLD at Tampa General Hospital (TGH) Digestive Health Center, which has locations in West Palm Beach and Palm Beach Gardens.
Dr. Olsen is Palm Beach County’s and Martin County’s only transplant hepatologist and brings more than a decade of experience in providing world-class digestive and liver care, and specializes in liver disease and disorders, including those related to NAFLD.
She is a member of the American Gastroenterological Association, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). Dr. Olsen was the chief resident at NewYork-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center, and previously served as an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City and assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at NYU. She has also served as co-director of the Medicine Sub-Internship clerkship at Weill Cornell, and as the program director for Advanced Fellowship in Transplant Hepatology at NYU.
Dr. Olsen’s vast expertise in treating all stages of liver disease and her unique credentials are why more and more local primary care physicians and endocrinologists refer their patients with NAFLD to her care.
What Physicians Need to Know About NAFLD
In the U.S., NAFLD affects approximately 80 to 100 million people, among whom nearly 25% progress to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Many do not know they have the disease. Eleven percent of NASH patients will develop cirrhosis or liver failure. NASH may also progress to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). “NASH is expected to become the leading cause of liver transplantation in the U.S. by 2025,” said Dr. Olsen.
A New Name for Fatty Liver Disease
The term “fatty liver disease” has been replaced with a term that more accurately describes the physiology of the disease. The new name is metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD).
“Because MASLD is asymptomatic, it is critical that we screen for it,” said Dr. Olsen. “While we continue to educate people on diet and exercise, we now have several medications that can be used to treat MASLD.”
New Guidelines Encourage Screenings
According to new guidelines from the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology (AACE), the following patients should be screened for MASLD:
- All patients with diabetes
- Patients with two or more cardiovascular risk factors, such as hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia and sleep apnea
- Patients with elevated liver chemistries
Screening starts with an ultrasound or liver tests. From there, we can calculate the FIB-4, which has been shown to correlate with fibrosis. This is a simple formula using the patient’s age, AST, ALT and platelet count to help determine the likelihood of advanced fibrosis.
- Anyone with a FIB-4 greater than 1.5 should be referred for a FibroScan to determine the degree of scarring in the liver
- Patients with Stage 3 or 4 fibrosis need to be screened for liver cancer
TGH Digestive Health Center is one of the few practices in South Florida offering the FibroScan test. Dr. Olsen welcomes patient referrals and collaborating with physicians on treatment plans.
“This new, advanced, preventative measure offers patients a greater opportunity to detect and treat MASLD as soon as possible,” said Dr. Olsen. “Our goal is to provide the most up-to-date and comprehensive information to patients, and to give them the greatest level of comfort and reassurance about the care they are receiving.”
For patient referrals, please call (561) 739-4TGH (4844) or visit TGHDigestiveHealth.com.