Current approaches to diagnosing and treating nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Abstract

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common chronic liver diseases worldwide, although there are no accurate data on its prevalence and incidence due to its asymptomatic course and different diagnostic criteria. NAFLD is an umbrella term that includes two main morphological types: non-alcoholic fatty hepatosis and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. The basis for the pathogenesis of NAFLD is insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia, which cause obvious disorders of lipid and carbohydrate metabolism and an imbalance between lipid consumption and utilization. NAFLD is usually characterized by an asymptomatic course and is often diagnosed accidentally when a patient visits his doctor for hypertension, coronary heart disease, peripheral vascular diseases, obesity, type 2 diabetes, etc.