First Annual NAFLD & NASH PC Summit

  December 1, 2022

  Virtual

It is our pleasure to invite you to the First Annual NAFLD & NASH Primary Care Summit. This important multidisciplinary program will be held online December 1, 2022 from 5:30pm – 10:00pm EST. All sessions will be conducted in English but simultaneously interpreted into French.

This Group Learning program has been certified by the College of Family Physicians of Canada and the Ontario Chapter for up to 4.00  Mainpro+ credits.

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) and Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) are becoming a major cause of liver disease worldwide. NAFLD is estimated to have a prevalence of 25-40% in Canada, and NASH, 3-4%. NAFLD is the most common chronic liver disease in Canada, the second leading cause of liver transplantation, and will soon be the leading cause within 10 years. NASH is also the fastest-rising cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the world.

Patients with the greatest risk for NAFLD/NASH are those faced with obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Due to the high incidence of these two diseases and other risk indicators like hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and sleep-apnea, primary care physicians need to be aware of key factors related to the early diagnosis and treatment of NAFLD and when to refer to a specialist. With significant data also supporting linkages between NAFLD and cardiovascular mortality, earlier detection is key.

Now is the time to educate primary care physicians and allied health professionals. Together we will learn from the experts on how NAFLD and NASH are defined. What are the knowledge gaps today? How are high-risk patients assessed? Is early detection possible? How can Primary Care Physicians tailor care for patients? Why is interdisciplinary care critical? What lifestyle modifications, or pharmacological treatments can be utilized? What are the interrelationships among Type-2 Diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease? What does the future hold for NAFLD and NASH? 

On behalf of our co-chairs and esteemed faculty, we hope you will join us virtually for this important meeting that will pave the future of practice of NAFLD and NASH across Canada and beyond.