| Theme |
Obesity and Digestive Organ |
| Title |
Obesity and Liver Disease |
| Author |
Maki Tobari |
Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, Tokyo Women's Medical University Yachiyo Medical Center |
| Author |
Etsuko Hashimoto |
Health Support Center of SEIBU RAILWAY Co., Ltd |
| [ Summary ] |
Obesity can lead to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The global prevalence of NAFLD was reported to be around 25 % in a meta‒analysis of over 8 million individuals. It has become a huge global health burden. NAFLD consists of two clinical entities: nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL), which is mostly benign, and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which is a progressive form, diagnosed based on histology of the steatohepatitis, that may lead to cirrhosis or even hepatocellular carcinoma. NASH accounts for 10 %‒20 % of NAFLD cases. Fibrosis is a key risk factor for prognosis. NAFLD is increasingly emerging as a cause of cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma. Currently, weight reduction is the only promising treatment for NAFLD, but new treatments are being aggressively investigated globally. |