NAFLD in the Elderly

• Main Authors: Alqahtani SA, Schattenberg JM
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dove Medical Press 2021-09-01
• Series: Clinical Interventions in Aging
• Subjects: liver disease; aging; fatty liver; nash; senescence; regeneration
• Online Access: https://www.dovepress.com/nafld-in-the-elderly-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-CIA

Saleh A Alqahtani,1,2 Jörn M Schattenberg3 1Liver Transplantation Center, King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 2Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; 3Metabolic Liver Research Program, I. Department of Medicine, University Medical Center, Mainz, GermanyCorrespondence: Jörn M SchattenbergMetabolic Liver Research Program, I. Department of Medicine, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University, Langenbeckstrasse 1, Mainz, 55131, GermanyEmail [e-mail]: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an increasingly prevalent disease globally. Current estimates are that 24% of the adult population, thus, one billion individuals worldwide, are affected. Interestingly, the prevalence of fatty liver seems to peak between 40─50 years of age in males and 60─69 years in females, often slightly decreasing in older (> 70 years) cohorts. Furthermore, several risk factors for NAFLD development, such as hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and obesity are higher in older adults. The diagnosis and management strategies in older adults are sometimes challenging, and certain age-specific factors have to be taken into account by healthcare professionals. In this review, we provide an overview of considerations relevant to the management and diagnosis of NAFLD in older adults (age > 65 years) and discuss the types of pharmacological interventions available for the management of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in the aging population.Keywords: liver disease, aging, fatty liver, NASH, senescence, regeneration