Management of metabolic dysfunction and cardiovascular risk in patients with MASLD

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a leading global cause of chronic liver disease and is strongly linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD), which remains the primary cause of death in affected individuals. This narrative review summarizes contemporary evidence on the MASLD–CVD interface and outlines a practical framework for cardiovascular risk assessment and comorbidity management. We discuss how liver disease severity can inform cardiovascular risk stratification beyond traditional scores, including cardiovascular imaging, biomarkers of myocyte injury and stress, inflammation markers, proteomics, lipidomics, and lipid profiles. Lifestyle interventions - dietary optimization, weight loss, and increased physical activity - remain foundational and improve hepatic steatosis and key cardiometabolic parameters. Pharmacotherapies with relevance to MASLD and cardiometabolic disease - including β-selective thyromimetics, incretin-based therapies, sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors, and pioglitazone - offer benefits across weight, glycemic control, and metabolic risk, while statins remain the cornerstone of dyslipidemia management and CVD prevention in MASLD. For patients who do not achieve lipid targets or are statin-intolerant, non-statin therapies such as proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitors and bempedoic acid provide additional risk-reduction options. Bariatric surgery can achieve durable weight loss and meaningful improvements in steatohepatitis and fibrosis in carefully selected patients. Finally, we emphasize the need for integrated, multidisciplinary care pathways that coordinate hepatology, cardiology, endocrinology, and primary care to identify high-risk individuals early, tailor intensity of preventive therapies, and address the concurrent liver and CVD burden.