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Epidemiological modifiers of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: Focus on high-risk groups.

Authors :
Lonardo A
Bellentani S
Argo CK
Ballestri S
Byrne CD
Caldwell SH
Cortez-Pinto H
Grieco A
Machado MV
Miele L
Targher G
Source :
Digestive and liver disease : official journal of the Italian Society of Gastroenterology and the Italian Association for the Study of the Liver [Dig Liver Dis] 2015 Dec; Vol. 47 (12), pp. 997-1006. Date of Electronic Publication: 2015 Aug 14.
Publication Year :
2015

Abstract

An improved understanding of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease epidemiology would lead to identification of individuals at high risk of developing chronic liver disease and extra-hepatic complications, thus contributing to more effective case finding of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease among selected groups. We aimed to illustrate the epidemiology of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in high-risk groups, which were identified based on existing literature. To this end, PubMed was searched to retrieve original articles published until May 2015 using relevant and pertinent keywords "nonalcoholic fatty liver disease" and "diabetes", "obesity", "hyperlipidaemia", "familial heterozygous hypobetalipoproteinaemia", "hypertension", "metabolic syndrome", "ethnicity", "family history" or "genetic polymorphisms". We found that age, sex and ethnicity are major physiological modifiers of the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, along with belonging to "non-alcoholic fatty liver disease families" and carrying risk alleles for selected genetic polymorphisms. Metabolic syndrome, diabetes, obesity, mixed hyperlipidaemia and hypocholesterolaemia due to familial hypobetalipoproteinaemia are the major metabolic modifiers of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease risk. Compared with these metabolic conditions, however, arterial hypertension appears to carry a relatively more modest risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. A better understanding of the epidemiology of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease may result in a more liberal policy of case finding among high-risk groups.<br /> (Copyright © 2015 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1878-3562
Volume :
47
Issue :
12
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
Digestive and liver disease : official journal of the Italian Society of Gastroenterology and the Italian Association for the Study of the Liver
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
26454786
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dld.2015.08.004