People living with HIV often develop a liver condition called MASLD, which can get worse faster than in people without HIV. The disease is driven by both the usual causes of fatty liver and HIV‑specific issues like changes in body shape, chronic inflammation, leaky gut, and some HIV medicines. Early studies suggest that the growth‑hormone‑releasing peptide tesamorelin may help improve liver health in this group, but more research is needed.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is highly prevalent among people with HIV (PWH) and increasingly recognized as a major contributor to morbidity and mortality. The field of MASLD is rapidly evolving with adoption of a new nomenclature and approval of the first FDA-approved therapy within the past year. These developments underscore the need to consider the current state of the science specifically in the context of HIV. MASLD in PWH (MASLD-HIV) follows a more aggressive clinical course compared to HIV-negative individuals. While MASLD-HIV shares common pathogenic mechanisms with MASLD in the general population, HIV-specific factors - including altered body composition, chronic immune activation, enhanced gut permeability, and antiretroviral therapy - exacerbate disease progression. Despite an expanding pipeline of MASLD therapies, a critical gap remains in evaluating these interventions specifically among PWH. Nonetheless, dedicated studies of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists and the growth hormone-releasing hormone analog tesamorelin have shown promise in MASLD-HIV. MASLD is a key contributor to liver-related and cardiovascular-morbidity in PWH. While there have been exciting advances to improve diagnosis and management of MASLD in the general population, differences in MASLD pathophysiology demonstrate the need to tailor our approach specifically for PWH.