Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has quietly become one of the most common causes of chronic liver disease in the modern world. If this prevalence is allowed to continue the economic and clinical burden will reach a staggering level.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) consists of a complex combination of liver maladies, ranging from benign hepatic steatosis (fatty liver) to its more aggressive inflammatory manifestation, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). In parallel to soaring rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D), the prevalence of NAFLD is rising rapidly. An estimated 25% of adults worldwide currently have NASH and ~30-59% of these patients will develop NASH.
By Dr Sue Grepper, Dr Radina Kostadinova, Dr Eva Thoma and Professor Armin Wolf
