Search

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized by liver fat accumulation and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) with inflammation and fibrosis, which may lead to cirrhosis also in childhood. NAFLD/NASH in children are related to obesity and the metabolic syndrome, and incidence and prevalence are expected to increase. Children having liver steatosis and elevated liver enzymes are most often asymptomatic, and a liver biopsy is necessary for correct diagnosis and staging. The treatment should focus on lifestyle changes, as pharmacological therapy needs further evaluation.

Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) may develop in a subset of patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NASH is strongly associated to the metabolic syndrome with insulin resistance and obesity. NASH can progress to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis and chronic hepatic failure and eventual need for a liver transplantation. Three case stories are presented with characteristic clinical and histopathological changes.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common hepatic disorders in the Western world. Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) may occur in a subset of NAFLD patients and is an increasingly recognised clinicopathologial hepatic disorder. NASH may have significant impact on the healthcare system as it is associated with the metabolic syndrome comprising insulin resistance, obesity, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. NASH can progress to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis and chronic hepatic failure and eventually to the need for a liver transplantation. The present review deals with the epidemiological features of NASH, describes a two-step pathogenesis with hepatic lipid accumulation (NAFLD) followed by the development of steatohepatitis (NASH). A strategy for establishing a diagnosis of NASH is presented including the indication for liver biopsy. The treatment of NASH may comprise different modalities from diet, weight loss, and exercise to pharmacological treatment to improve insulin resistance and drugs with antioxidant effects.

The introduction of molecular techniques into the routine diagnostic analysis of solid tumours has been slower than for hematological neoplasias, both because the former in general genetically are more heterogeneous and because their tumour cells are less accessible. This review presents examples of methods which can be used in the identification of risk groups, classification and prognosis of tumours, detection of minimal residual disease, choice of therapeutic strategy and tracing of possible hereditary cases. It is concluded that molecular laboratories should be established in connection with departments of pathology at the larger hospitals and that further development should take place through close collaboration between pathologists, molecular biologists, and clinicians.