Recent advances in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) refers to a wide spectrum of liver damage, ranging from simple steatosis to steatohepatitis, advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis. Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a more severe form of NAFLD and it can progress to cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer. Most patients with NAFLD are asymptomatic. Common findings include elevated liver enzymes and steatosis on liver ultrasound. Liver biopsy is used to distinguish NASH from other forms of liver diseases and can assess the severity of inflammation and grades of liver fibrosis. NAFLD continues to be increasingly recognised as an epidemic across the globe including Africa and the Middle East (1).