WHO moves to expand global definition of non-communicable diseases
Steatotic liver disease is primarily driven by metabolic risk factors, poor dietary habits, and sedentary lifestyles.
What you need to know:
- Steatotic liver disease affects an estimated 1.7 billion people globally.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is set to broaden its official classification of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) to include steatotic liver disease, previously known as fatty liver disease, and inherited bleeding disorders.
The expansion follows a resolution passed by the WHO Executive Board last week. Egypt, which sponsored the resolution, noted that steatotic liver disease affects an estimated 1.7 billion people globally.
The condition is primarily driven by metabolic risk factors, poor dietary habits, and sedentary lifestyles. The resolution advocates for formal recognition of the disease within global NCD frameworks, calling for its integration into surveillance systems, prevention strategies, primary healthcare management, and national action plans.
In a separate resolution introduced by Armenia, haemophilia and other inherited bleeding disorders were highlighted as historically neglected conditions. The measure seeks to address systematic under-diagnosis and improve access to essential treatment and care for affected populations.
The announcements came during an extensive Executive Board session focused on NCDs, which Dr Jeremy Farrar, WHO assistant director general, described as one of the defining health challenges of the 21st century.
The proposals will be presented at the World Health Assembly in May, marking a significant shift in global health priorities.
NCDs currently account for a growing share of mortality worldwide. In Africa, they were responsible for 37 per cent of deaths in 2019, up from 24 per cent in 2000. In Kenya, NCDs accounted for 39 per cent of deaths in 2020, a rise from 27 per cent in 2014, with more than half of those deaths occurring in people under the age of 40.
Research indicates that steatotic liver disease is present in sub-Saharan Africa, with prevalence ranging from 10 per cent to 28 per cent, though this is lower than global averages.
Studies in Kenya have validated screening methods for identifying the disease in the population, and the condition is increasingly recognised as part of the broader metabolic syndrome affecting African nations undergoing rapid urbanisation and dietary transitions.
Much of the discussion centred on implementing the UN Political Declaration on NCDs and mental health, adopted in December after initial resistance from the United States and Argentina. The declaration establishes ambitious targets for 2030, including reducing tobacco use by 150 million, bringing 150 million more people with hypertension under control, and expanding mental health access to 150 million additional individuals.
However, most countries have failed to meet NCD-related Sustainable Development Goals , and the NCD Alliance voiced concerns about the influence of health-harming industries that weakened prevention commitments in the Political Declaration, particularly regarding health taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and sugary beverages.
Dr Farrar warned against over-reliance on treatment rather than prevention, noting WHO's recent organisational reforms that combine health promotion, disease prevention, and care into a single division to encourage more holistic approaches. He also cautioned that ageing populations worldwide would exacerbate the NCD burden.
