---
title: >-
  Clinical Characteristics of Patients With Presumed MASLD Who Meet Met-ALD
  Criteria in the TARGET-NASH Cohort.
description: >-
  Explore this publication on real-world evidence: Clinical Characteristics of
  Patients With Presumed MASLD Who Meet Met-ALD Criteria in the TARGET-NASH
  Cohort..
date: '2025-01-01'
category: Publications
tags:
  - AASLD
  - Poster Presentation
  - R&D
  - Care
  - Hepatology
  - MASH/MASLD
  - Health System Partner
canonical_url: >-
  https://www.pedestalhealth.com/resources/publications/aasld/clinical-characteristics-of-patients-with-presumed-masld/
source: Pedestal Health
license: © 2026 Pedestal Health. All rights reserved.
slug: clinical-characteristics-of-patients-with-presumed-masld
id: 7dZs3IByZ1yILm2qL4JZ9o
contentType: article
---

## Challenge

The MetALD subgroup—patients with MASLD criteria and elevated alcohol use—is clinically important but systematically excluded from most MASLD trials, leaving its cardiovascular risk profile, disease trajectory, and outcomes entirely uncharacterized in real-world settings.

## Solution

The TARGET-NASH cohort was used to identify patients presumed to have MASLD who met MetALD criteria based on AUDIT scores, comparing their baseline characteristics, MACE incidence, time-to-event outcomes, and decompensation rates against the broader MASLD population.

## Impact

Characterizing the MetALD subgroup in real-world practice informs eligibility criteria design for MASLD trials, supports the development of alcohol-aware diagnostic algorithms, and establishes the evidence base for including or appropriately excluding this high-risk population in drug development programs.

### [Andrea R. Mospan](/people/andrea-mospan/)

![Andrea R. Mospan, PhD, RAC — Profile Photo](https://images.ctfassets.net/h4s3ip99qawo/4w6bkwPHPqrXKYs4tHZPkK/1d21763b54ecc3466764986693b7072f/andrea-mospan.jpg)

### [Breda Munoz](/people/breda-munoz/)

![Breda Munoz, PhD — Profile Photo](https://images.ctfassets.net/h4s3ip99qawo/3H1T2mfvSNFj6w9tulnreq/a74ae05fe53e400f176d4e9c617b8fb8/breda-munoz.jpg)

### [Heather L. Morris](/people/heather-morris/)

![Heather Morris, PhD — Profile Photo](https://images.ctfassets.net/h4s3ip99qawo/16PnQ817q7tv964vhcUD5f/ce6797c32df11f022ef12ecbb9ffea49/heather-morris.jpg)