The American Liver Foundation (ALF) updated its patient registry for all types of liver diseases to better accommodate Latinos, according to an ALF news release.

 

Launched last July, the American Liver Foundation Patient Registry offers researchers and patients a better understanding of liver diseases, the impact of current treatments and how liver disease affects patients.

 

To ensure that the needs of Latinos are adequately met, the patient registry is now available in Spanish. The new user-friendly platform aims to incorporate the experiences of Latinos into the data to help guide future treatments and cures for liver disease.

 

“Too often, non-native English speakers are excluded from vast research studies simply because of language barriers,” said ALF CEO Lorraine Stiehl in the release. “It is so important for researchers working on new treatments and cures for liver disease to have participation from diverse communities, and we hope having the registry in Spanish will be an important step toward reaching Hispanic/Latino audiences.”

 

Rather than relying on a simple translation plug-in, the new Spanish-language registry uses professional translation and language services to provide high-quality certified translations in health care and other fields to ensure that complex medical and research terminology is accurate and easy to understand.

 

In the United States, more than 40% of adults have liver disease, according to a study published last year. What’s more, Latino adults have a higher prevalence of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, or MASLD (47%) compared with other racial groups (40%).

 

Often referred to as “silent diseases,” MASLD and its more severe form, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), are responsible for a growing proportion of advanced liver disease, mirroring a global rise in obesity. MASLD can lead to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis and even liver cancer.

 

Factors such as genetic predisposition, food insecurity and higher rates of diabetes and obesity may lead to a higher prevalence of MASLD in Latinos.

 

“Although we have much more to do in order to reach everyone living with liver disease, we don’t want language barriers to stop us from helping Hispanic/Latino communities as they grapple with these diseases,” said Helene Jordan, PhD, national senior director of research program management at ALF. “We’re excited to invite diverse communities to join ALF’s Spanish Language Patient Registry and share critical information that can help many at all stages of liver disease.”

 

The ALF patient registry is open to adults 18 years and older in the United States with any type of liver disease at any stage. To access the American Liver Foundation Patient Registry in Spanish visit liverpatientregistry.org and select Spanish by clicking on the flag at the top right of the screen.