Washington, DC, March 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Liver Institute (GLI) is pleased to announce that the 2021 International NASH Day (#NASHday) will be held on June 10, 2021, with the theme, NASH Around the World! Held annually on the second Thursday in June, #NASHday is dedicated to increasing awareness about non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), the advanced form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), particularly among at-risk patients, the medical community, and public health authorities. NAFLD and NASH are closely linked with obesity and current global estimates show that as many as 25-30% of people have NAFLD and 2–6% have NASH,(1) (2) making it crucial to increase awareness and treatment options in every country.
“This year, as we continue to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and heighten awareness around disease management, it is imperative that we make substantial progress in preventing and treating NASH,” stated Donna R. Cryer, JD, president and CEO of GLI. “Especially today, in support of World Obesity Day, we want to bring attention to the impact that coordinated action can make when it includes the patient voice along with engagement from health care providers, policymakers, and industry. As one committed global community, we can stop the unnecessary loss of lives to NASH and the diseases closely associated with it, such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.”
GLI is now accepting applications from non-profit organizations to become #NASHday partners! GLI is asking this year’s partners to submit short videos and organize virtual events focused on NASH in their communities. GLI will share the videos online, as space allows, to highlight how patients around the world experience NASH and the events will allow organizations to increase awareness about NASH within their local communities. Among a number of benefits, partners may use multilingual NAFLD/NASH educational materials and a limited number may receive program-support grants. Learn more about partner requirements and apply by April 15, 2021. Video submissions are also due April 15, 2021.
“International NASH Day partners are critical to increasing awareness of NASH at the local level around the world,” shares Livia Alimena, Director of International NASH Day and GLI’s European Office. “We encourage patient advocacy groups, health centers, medical societies, and other supporters working to fight NASH to apply to be a partner and build a groundswell of support for patients with NASH and at risk of developing NASH worldwide.”
As part of the #NASHday activities this year, GLI will host international panels accessible online around the world focused on topics in NASH, such as innovations in diagnostics and the connection between NASH and obesity. In addition, new resources will highlight NASH in lean patients, information on participating in clinical trials for NASH treatments, and the relationship between NASH and diabetes. For the first time, GLI will also host online cooking presentations with chefs focused on healthy nutrition, an important aspect of NASH care and management.
In 2020, GLI and partners around the world transformed #NASHday into an engaging multi-platform experience, convening 80 partner organizations from 26 countries and more than 25 remarkable international speakers. View the 2020 NASH Day Summary Report [PDF]. Please consider becoming a #NASHday partner to help drive global awareness!
About Global Liver Institute
Global Liver Institute (GLI) is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt not-for-profit organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, with offices in the U.S. and Europe. GLI's vision is for liver health to take its place on the global public health agenda commensurate with its prevalence and impact. GLI's mission is to improve the lives of individuals and families impacted by liver disease through promoting innovation, encouraging collaboration, and supporting the scaling of optimal approaches to help eradicate liver diseases. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
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For more information contact:
Whitney Gray
Manager, NASH Communications
Global Liver Institute
wgray@globalliver.org
Livia Alimena
Director, International NASH Day and EU Office
Global Liver Institute
lalimena@globalliver.org
Sources
(1) Estes, C., Razavi, H., Loomba, R., Younossi, Z., & Sanyal, A. J. (2018). Modeling the epidemic of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease demonstrates an exponential increase in burden of disease. Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.), 67(1), 123–133. https://doi.org/10.1002/hep.29466
(2) Younossi, Z. M., Koenig, A. B., Abdelatif, D., Fazel, Y., Henry, L., & Wymer, M. (2016). Global epidemiology of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease-Meta-analytic assessment of prevalence, incidence, and outcomes. Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.), 64(1), 73–84. https://doi.org/10.1002/hep.28431
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