Driving NASH forward using the FAST score but obey the traffic lights.

Accurate tests to identify high-risk individuals in a population that could progress to severe forms of the disease are crucial strategies when tackling the nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) epidemic. NAFLD is projected to increase from affecting 83.1 million people in 2015 to 100.9 million in 2030, and its more severe form, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is estimated to increase from 16.52 million to 27.00 million in the US alone (1). These staggering numbers emphasize the need to precisely identify patients with NASH who could potentially develop life-threatening cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (2). By doing so, patients can be correctly selected to enter clinical trials designed to treat NASH with new drugs targeting different stages of the disease.