Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affects over 1/4th of the world’s population. It has become the leading cause of cirrhosis in developed western countries. NAFLD and NASH exist along a spectrum.
NAFLD: Patients are usually asymptomatic and the condition is found incidentally. It is defined as: >5% of hepatic steatosis in patients who do not consume excessive alcohol. They will not have hepatocellular injury (∼80% of patients have normal-range ALT levels).
Approximately 10–30% will progress to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Which is differentiated by inflammation and hepatocellular injury (elevated ALT>AST). Its the active form of NAFLD, with hepatic necro-inflammation and faster fibrosis progression.
REFERENCES
1) Dyson JK, Anstee QM, McPherson S. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a practical approach to diagnosis and staging. Frontline Gastroenterology 2014;5:211-218.
2) Chalasani N, Younossi Z, Lavine JE, Charlton M, Cusi K, Rinella M, Harrison SA, Brunt EM, Sanyal AJ. The diagnosis and management of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: Practice guidance from the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. Hepatology. 2018 Jan;67(1):328-357. doi: 10.1002/hep.29367. Epub 2017 Sep 29.
It is not clearly understood why patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) develop pericardial effusions. However,…
The two drugs are not interchangeable nor dose equivalents. Mycophenolate mofetil (Cellcept) is a semi…
Serum Creatinine can be a deceptive surrogate during an acute kidney injury. It may lag…
Macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) is a life-threatening complication of rheumatic diseases (i.e SLE, Juvenile idiopathic…
After creation of a percutaneous tracheotomy site for prolonged ventilation, one of the immediate complications…
Two systematic reviews have assessed the diagnostic accuracy of elements of the medical history, physical…
This website uses cookies.