Review article

NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE – A MULTISYSTEM DISEASE?

Ivana Mikolašević
Lidija Orlić
Davor Štimac
Vojko Mavrinac
Antun Ferenčić
Anamarija Rundić
Vesna Babić
Sandra Milić

Abstract

With the increasing incidence of obesity and metabolic syndrome the incidence of nonalcoholic fatty liver ­disease (NAFLD) is increasing as well. These patients have a significant risk of progression to the end-stage liver disease, but also these patients are at increased risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma. In recent years there is a growing ­number of publications that support the idea that NAFLD is not just a disease that is limited to the liver, but is associated with a number of extrahepatic manifestations. For example, NAFLD increases the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases and chronic kidney disease. Consequently NAFLD has become a growing public health problem. A number of sub-specialists as well as primary care physicians should be aware of these potential extrahepatic associations, given the availability of numerous methods for screening in clinical practice. The above approach is important in order to recognize potentially modifiable events in the early stages, and thus manage them and at least prevent the progression of certain diseases.

Keywords

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease – diagnosis, complications, physiopathology; Liver cirrhosis – etiology, diagnosis; Carcinoma, hepatocellular – etiology; Liver neoplasms – etiology; Liver – pathology; Biopsy; Elasticity imaging techniques

Hrčak ID:

173556

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/173556

Publication date:

5.1.2017.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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