Diagnostic Assessment of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease worldwide, and is characterized by fat accumulation at levels exceeding 5% in hepatocytes due to insulin resistance. The disease spectrum ranges from simple nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)/NASH-related fibrosis or cirrhosis defined by histological findings. Unlike simple NAFL, NASH/NASH-related fibrosis or cirrhosis increases the risk of liver-related morbidity or mortality. Therefore, accurate diagnosis of NASH/NASH-related fibrosis or cirrhosis is needed for management of patients with these diseases. Currently, liver biopsy is the only way to confirm the presence of NASH in an individual with features of NAFLD, but this has some limitations, including sample error, interpretation error, and the invasiveness of the procedure. Therefore, there have been a number of attempts to develop noninvasive methods for differential diagnosis of NASH/NASH-related fibrosis or cirrhosis easily and quickly. Here, we review the assessments for diagnosing NAFLD and the methods for differential diagnosis of NASH/NASH-related fibrosis or cirrhosis.

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Diagnosis and Evaluation of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Experimental Diabetes Research ◽

10.1155/2012/145754 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 2012 ◽

pp. 1-12 ◽

Cited By ~ 105

Author(s):

Mikako Obika ◽

Hirofumi Noguchi

Keyword(s):

Liver Disease ◽

Liver Biopsy ◽

Fatty Liver ◽

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ◽

Fatty Liver Disease ◽

Liver Function Tests ◽

Adverse Outcomes ◽

Noninvasive Methods ◽

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of elevated liver function tests results, after the commonly investigated causes have been excluded, and frequently coexists with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) because the conditions have common risk factors. As both T2DM and NAFLD are related to adverse outcomes of the other, diagnosis and valuation of fatty liver is an important part of the management of diabetes. Although noninvasive methods, such as biomarkers, panel markers, and imaging, may support a diagnostic evaluation of NAFLD patients, accurate histopathological findings cannot be achieved without a liver biopsy. As it is important to know whether steatohepatitis and liver fibrosis are present for the management of NAFLD, liver biopsy remains the gold standard for NAFLD diagnosis and evaluation. Therefore, new investigations of the pathogenesis of NAFLD are necessary to develop useful biomarkers that could provide a reliable noninvasive alternative to liver biopsy.

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The Role of Long Non-Coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the Development and Progression of Fibrosis Associated with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)

Non-Coding RNA ◽

10.3390/ncrna4030018 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 4 (3) ◽

pp. 18 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Amanda Hanson ◽

Danielle Wilhelmsen ◽

Johanna DiStefano

Keyword(s):

Liver Disease ◽

Fatty Liver ◽

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ◽

Fatty Liver Disease ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Disease Diagnosis ◽

Noninvasive Methods ◽

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver ◽

Potential Applicability ◽

Non Coding Rnas

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) encompasses a spectrum of conditions ranging from hepatic steatosis to inflammation (nonalcoholic steatohepatitis or NASH) with or without fibrosis, in the absence of significant alcohol consumption. The presence of fibrosis in NASH patients is associated with greater liver-related morbidity and mortality; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying the development of fibrosis and cirrhosis in NAFLD patients remain poorly understood. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging as key contributors to biological processes that are underpinning the initiation and progression of NAFLD fibrosis. This review summarizes the experimental findings that have been obtained to date in animal models of liver fibrosis and NAFLD patients with fibrosis. We also discuss the potential applicability of circulating lncRNAs to serve as biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of NAFLD fibrosis. A better understanding of the role played by lncRNAs in NAFLD fibrosis is critical for the identification of novel therapeutic targets for drug development and improved, noninvasive methods for disease diagnosis.

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Iron-Overload Evaluation by Noninvasive Methods in Patients with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Overweight, and Hyperferritinemia

Diabetes ◽

10.2337/db18-292-lb ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 67 (Supplement 1) ◽

pp. 292-LB ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

PAULA P.F. BRANISSO ◽

CLAUDIA P. OLIVEIRA ◽

HILTON M. LEÃO FILHO ◽

ARITANIA SANTOS ◽

FABIANA R. LIMA ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Liver Disease ◽

Iron Overload ◽

Fatty Liver ◽

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ◽

Fatty Liver Disease ◽

Noninvasive Methods ◽

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver

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Differential diagnosis between alcoholic liver disease and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

World Chinese Journal of Digestology ◽

10.11569/wcjd.v18.i14.1456 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 18 (14) ◽

pp. 1456

Author(s):

Shu-Kun Yao ◽

Chun Gao

Keyword(s):

Differential Diagnosis ◽

Liver Disease ◽

Fatty Liver ◽

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ◽

Alcoholic Liver Disease ◽

Fatty Liver Disease ◽

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver

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The search for noninvasive methods to identify liver fibrosis in children with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Biomarkers in Medicine ◽

10.2217/bmm-2017-0038 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 265-273 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Chetan Mandelia ◽

Mohammad Nasser Kabbany ◽

Praveen Kumar Conjeevaram Selvakumar ◽

Naim Alkhouri

Keyword(s):

Liver Disease ◽

Liver Fibrosis ◽

Fatty Liver ◽

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ◽

Fatty Liver Disease ◽

Noninvasive Methods ◽

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver

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Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Focus on Lipoprotein and Lipid Deregulation

Journal of Lipids ◽

10.1155/2011/783976 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 2011 ◽

pp. 1-14 ◽

Cited By ~ 91

Author(s):

Klementina Fon Tacer ◽

Damjana Rozman

Keyword(s):

Metabolic Syndrome ◽

Liver Disease ◽

Fatty Liver ◽

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ◽

Fatty Liver Disease ◽

Lipoprotein Metabolism ◽

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver ◽

Disease Spectrum ◽

The Metabolic Syndrome ◽

Metabolic Consequence

Obesity with associated comorbidities is currently a worldwide epidemic and among the most challenging health conditions in the 21st century. A major metabolic consequence of obesity is insulin resistance which underlies the pathogenesis of the metabolic syndrome. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the hepatic manifestation of obesity and metabolic syndrome. It comprises a disease spectrum ranging from simple steatosis (fatty liver), through nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) to fibrosis, and ultimately liver cirrhosis. Abnormality in lipid and lipoprotein metabolism accompanied by chronic inflammation is the central pathway for the development of metabolic syndrome-related diseases, such as atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and NAFLD. This paper focuses on pathogenic aspect of lipid and lipoprotein metabolism in NAFLD and the relevant mouse models of this complex multifactorial disease.

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