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Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD): Is it a Dormant Volcano or Tip of an Iceberg?
- Source :
-
Indian Journal of Community Medicine . Nov/Dec2024, Vol. 49 Issue 6, p780-785. 6p. - Publication Year :
- 2024
-
Abstract
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a major cause of chronic liver disease, is known to affect a quarter of the global adults. Natural history of NAFLD shows interindividual variation, traditionally it progresses from simple steatosis to steatohepatitis to fibrosis/cirrhosis and finally yet rarely to hepatocellular carcinoma. It is largely a lifestyle-related disease and is often labeled as the hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome. Both prevention and control of NAFLD include controlling risk factors (obesity, diabetes mellitus, hypertension and dyslipidemia), through lifestyle modification and medications. Drug therapy for NAFLD per se is still evolving and till date, no drugs are approved. It is clinically silent, especially in the early stages, and is a diagnosis of exclusion. Certain easily calculated indices can stratify cases into high or low risk for advanced fibrosis, thereby dictating appropriate monitoring and treatment measures. In addition to complications specific to liver disease in those who do progress to advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis, an increased risk of nonliver disease-related morbidity and mortality is also present. Challenges are manifold and include rising burden due to ever-growing epidemic of diabetes and obesity, low public awareness, fragmented healthcare, no approved drugs, and dearth of data on magnitude and epidemiology of the disease. The recent integration of NAFLD into the National Program for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NPCDCS) by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of India is a welcome step in this direction as the contributory factors are mostly the same for all diseases and controlling any one or all of them will have a desired impact on the prevalence of all the diseases under this program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- *THERAPEUTIC use of vitamin E
*NON-alcoholic fatty liver disease
*RISK assessment
*BIOPSY
*WEIGHT loss
*PIOGLITAZONE
*NATIONAL health services
*FATTY liver
*DIAGNOSTIC imaging
*ULTRASONIC imaging
*LIVER diseases
*CHRONIC diseases
*AEROBIC exercises
*MEDICAL schools
*DIET
*LIVER transplantation
*INTEGRATED health care delivery
*DISEASE complications
*SYMPTOMS
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 09700218
- Volume :
- 49
- Issue :
- 6
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Indian Journal of Community Medicine
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 180564965
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.4103/ijcm.ijcm_174_24