NASH Observatory

The global prevalence of NAFLD is estimated at approximately 25%. In a recent meta-analysis on the global epidemiology of NAFLD, Younossi et al. reported the prevalence to be highest (32%) in the Middle East, and is estimated to grow further with an increase in its risk factors such as obesity, metabolic syndrome...

Although early stages of NASH may not be associated with severe symptoms, it is increasingly appreciated that NASH is not an asymptomatic disease. In fact, systematic assessments of patients with NASH using validated health-related quality- of-life instruments suggest significant impairment of patient-reported outcomes...

The aim of the current study by A. Mari et al. (Nazareth Hospital EMMS, Nazareth, and Faculty of Medicine in the Galilee, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel) was to assess the impact of caloric restrictions during Ramadan fasting on severity index of NASH severity scores. The authors conducted a retrospective, case control study in Nazareth Hospital...

Non-invasive tests of NAFLD can be classified by the target disease state or the type of test. Disease states of interest include the detection of hepatic steatosis (for the diagnosis of NAFLD or using steatosis improvement as treatment outcomes in early phase studies)...

The spectrum that ranges from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) to the more aggressive form of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) all the way to liver cirrhosis is associated with complications and hepatocellular carcinoma. Extrahepatic malignancies are among the leading causes of death in patients with NAFLD, but little is known about...

Background: This systematic review and meta-analysis by KM Chin et al. (Singapore General Hospital, Singapore) aimed to compare the outcomes of curative therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma from NAFLD and non-NAFLD aetiologies. They pooled and examined findings for 5579 patients from 9 studies...

Although recent evidence suggests the involvement of iron accumulation in the pathogenesis of NASH, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Previously, Y. Kanamori et al. (Nagoya, Japan) reported a unique histological structure termed ‘‘crown-like structure (CLS),’’ where liver-resident macrophages (Kupffer cells) surround...