Clinical Aspects of Fatty Liver Disease

Jayanta Choudhury; Arun J. Sanyal

doi:10.1055/s-2004-860864

Seminars in Liver Disease, Table of Contents

Semin Liver Dis 2004; 24(4): 349-362
DOI: 10.1055/s-2004-860864

Clinical Aspects of Fatty Liver Disease

Jayanta Choudhury¹ , Arun J. Sanyal¹ ^, ²

¹Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Dept. of Internal Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia
²Professor and Chairperson

Abstract

ABSTRACT

The global emergence of obesity as an epidemic has made fatty liver disease a public health problem in the Western world. The increased incidence of obesity has been paralleled by an increase in metabolic syndrome in the same cohort of patients. The net consequence of insulin resistance in a large majority of these obese individuals is hepatic steatosis, which over time in a proportion of these patients progresses to steatohepatitis and cirrhosis. Despite the increased awareness among physicians regarding its presence, the diagnostic process has been hampered by the lack of sensitive and specific population-based screening tests. Liver biopsy remains the gold standard for diagnosis as well as for grading and staging of the disease process but its precise role in the diagnostic conundrum continues to be debated.

KEYWORDS

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease - steatohepatitis - insulin resistance - obesity - alanine aminotransferase - aspartate aminotransferase - metabolic syndrome - cirrhosis - gastric bypass - hepatitis C

Full Text

References

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Arun J SanyalM.D.

Virginia Commonwealth University

MCV Box 980711, Richmond, VA 23298-0711

Email: ajsanyal@hsc.vcu.edu