title: Emerging drugs for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a condition of emerging relevance that includes different forms of chronic liver damage, from a simple fatty infiltration (steatosis) of hepatocytes to steatohepatitis (NASH) with fibrosis. This last form may evolve to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To discuss therapeutic management of NAFLD. Theoretically, only patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) need to be treated, as only NASH may evolve to cirrhosis. Differentiation between steatosis and NASH currently requires a liver biopsy.
  
  
  METHODS
  We discuss different therapeutic approaches proposed in literature for patients with NAFLD.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The treatment of associated conditions leads to an improvement of NAFLD and NASH. No specific drug is actually present to treat liver steatosis or NASH.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The treatment of NAFLD depends on the individual characteristics of each patient. Diet and physical exercise may be considered a basal universal approach. Future research will discover possible specific liver drugs.
authors.affiliation: Via Alcide De Gasperi 80, 84018 Scafati (SA), Italy. alessandro.federico@unina2.it
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Federico
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Niosi
authors.forename: Camillo Del
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Vecchio Blanco
authors.forename: Carmela
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Loguercio
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019610:Cytoprotection / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D015507:Drugs, Investigational / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015431:Weight Loss / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D015507:Drugs, Investigational; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents