Non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases: update on the challenge of diagnosis and treatment

The prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is estimated to be 25-30% of the population, and is the most common cause of elevated liver enzymes in Korea. NAFLD is a “hot potato” for pharmaceutical companies. Many clinical trials are underway to develop a first-in-class drug to treat...

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Main Authors: Hyunwoo Oh, Dae Won Jun, Waqar K Saeed, Mindie H Nguyen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Korean Association for the Study of the Liver 2016-09-01
Series:Clinical and Molecular Hepatology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://e-cmh.org/upload/pdf/cmh-2016-0049.pdf
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spelling doaj-d36e46ca34474964bf51d5f751b784392020-11-24T22:32:27ZengKorean Association for the Study of the LiverClinical and Molecular Hepatology2287-27282287-285X2016-09-0122332733510.3350/cmh.2016.00491310Non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases: update on the challenge of diagnosis and treatmentHyunwoo Oh0Dae Won Jun1Waqar K Saeed2Mindie H Nguyen3 Department of Internal Medicine, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea Department of Internal Medicine, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea Department of Internal Medicine, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Stanford University Medical Center, Palo Alto, CA, USAThe prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is estimated to be 25-30% of the population, and is the most common cause of elevated liver enzymes in Korea. NAFLD is a “hot potato” for pharmaceutical companies. Many clinical trials are underway to develop a first-in-class drug to treat NAFLD. However, there are several challenging issues regarding the diagnosis of NAFLD. Currently, liver biopsy is the gold standard method for the diagnosis of NAFLD and steatohepatitis. Ideally, globally recognized standards for histological diagnosis and methods to optimize observer agreement on biopsy interpretation should be developed. Liver biopsy is the best method rather than a perfect one. Recently, multi-parametric magnetic resonance imagery can estimate the amount of intrahepatic fat successfully and is widely used in clinical trials. But no diagnostic method can discriminate between steatohepatitis and simple steatosis. The other unresolved issue in regard to NAFLD is the absence of satisfactory treatment options. Vitamin E and obeticholic acid have shown protective effects in randomized controlled trials, but this drug has not been approved for use in Korea. This study will provide a description of diagnostic methods and treatments that are currently recommended for NAFLD.http://e-cmh.org/upload/pdf/cmh-2016-0049.pdfNon-alcoholic fatty liverDiagnosisTreatment
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Hyunwoo Oh
Dae Won Jun
Waqar K Saeed
Mindie H Nguyen
spellingShingle Hyunwoo Oh
Dae Won Jun
Waqar K Saeed
Mindie H Nguyen
Non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases: update on the challenge of diagnosis and treatment
Clinical and Molecular Hepatology
Non-alcoholic fatty liver
Diagnosis
Treatment
author_facet Hyunwoo Oh
Dae Won Jun
Waqar K Saeed
Mindie H Nguyen
author_sort Hyunwoo Oh
title Non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases: update on the challenge of diagnosis and treatment
title_short Non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases: update on the challenge of diagnosis and treatment
title_full Non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases: update on the challenge of diagnosis and treatment
title_fullStr Non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases: update on the challenge of diagnosis and treatment
title_full_unstemmed Non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases: update on the challenge of diagnosis and treatment
title_sort non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases: update on the challenge of diagnosis and treatment
publisher Korean Association for the Study of the Liver
series Clinical and Molecular Hepatology
issn 2287-2728
2287-285X
publishDate 2016-09-01
description The prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is estimated to be 25-30% of the population, and is the most common cause of elevated liver enzymes in Korea. NAFLD is a “hot potato” for pharmaceutical companies. Many clinical trials are underway to develop a first-in-class drug to treat NAFLD. However, there are several challenging issues regarding the diagnosis of NAFLD. Currently, liver biopsy is the gold standard method for the diagnosis of NAFLD and steatohepatitis. Ideally, globally recognized standards for histological diagnosis and methods to optimize observer agreement on biopsy interpretation should be developed. Liver biopsy is the best method rather than a perfect one. Recently, multi-parametric magnetic resonance imagery can estimate the amount of intrahepatic fat successfully and is widely used in clinical trials. But no diagnostic method can discriminate between steatohepatitis and simple steatosis. The other unresolved issue in regard to NAFLD is the absence of satisfactory treatment options. Vitamin E and obeticholic acid have shown protective effects in randomized controlled trials, but this drug has not been approved for use in Korea. This study will provide a description of diagnostic methods and treatments that are currently recommended for NAFLD.
topic Non-alcoholic fatty liver
Diagnosis
Treatment
url http://e-cmh.org/upload/pdf/cmh-2016-0049.pdf
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