Hígado graso no alcohólico: una entidad relevante para el endocrinólogo / The relevance of non-alcoholic fatty liver for endocrinologists

ABSTRACT

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is emerging as a leading cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. Although its pathophysiology is not completely understood, insulin resistance has been identified as a central event involved in both pathogenesis and progression of the disease. Due to its asymptomatic nature and its benign evolution in the majority of cases, awareness about the possibilityof progression of NAFLD among non-hepatologists is limited. Different studies indicate that non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, the inflammatory form of NAFLD, can progress to more advanced stages of chronic liver disease including cirrhosis in up to 25 percent of cases in a decade. Furthermore, recent data show that NAFLD is an important risk factor for developing cardiovascular events and diabetes. This article briefly reviews current concepts on NAFLD. As endocrinologists frequently face patients with insulin resistance, the identification of patients with NAFLD and the assessment of prognosis acquires significant clinical relevance.