Presentation (CTI)

OBJECTIVES: Metabolic dysfunction associated steatohepatitis (MASH), formerly non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), is a progressive metabolic liver disease receiving rising public attention; however, real-world awareness and unmet needs remain incompletely understood. Social media listening provides unsolicited insight into patient, caregiver, and public discourse across the MASH/NASH disease journey beyond clinical settings. This study characterizes the volume, sentiment, and key themes in global online conversations on MASH/NASH.
METHODS: Social media listening analysis (January 2025 - January 2026) was conducted using the Talkwalker platform to capture publicly available online conversations related to MASH/NASH. A predefined Boolean search strategy with exclusions and deduplication was applied. Posts were mapped to four themes (early disease experience and access to care; treatment decision-making and experiences; psychosocial, emotional, and functional impact; and long-term management, prevention, and communication) with automated sentiment classification.
RESULTS: A total of 1.2 million MASH/NASH-related posts were identified, predominantly in English (73.3%) and largely from the United States, with discussion peaking in late November 2025 indicating rising public attention and sustained interest rather than short-term spikes. Early disease experience and access to care generated the highest discussion volume (66,474 posts), with awareness primarily framed around "fatty liver" and general metabolic risk rather than MASH. Treatment discussions (8,900 posts) showed optimism toward metabolic and GLP-1-based therapies, including resmetirom, alongside concerns about affordability, eligibility, and inconsistent guidance. Psychosocial impacts (34,247 posts) reflected fear of progression, dietary burden, and stigma, contributing to more negative sentiment. Long-term management and prevention (39,357 posts) were dominated by self-directed lifestyle strategies and confusion due to conflicting advice. Overall sentiment was predominantly neutral, reflecting information-seeking behavior.
CONCLUSIONS: Despite increasing awareness, MASH/NASH discussions reveal ongoing gaps in disease-specific understanding, access to treatment, and consistent guidance, underscoring unmet needs in disease-specific education and care pathways.