title: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: updates in noninvasive diagnosis and correlation with cardiovascular disease.
abstract: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) refers to the accumulation of fat (mainly triglycerides) within hepatocytes. Approximately 20%-30% of adults in the general population in developed countries have NAFLD; this trend is increasing because of the pandemicity of obesity and diabetes, and is becoming a serious public health burden. Twenty percent of individuals with NAFLD develop chronic hepatic inflammation [nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)], which can be associated with the development of cirrhosis, portal hypertension, and hepatocellular carcinoma in a minority of patients. And thus, the detection and diagnosis of NAFLD is important for general practitioners. Liver biopsy is the gold standard for diagnosing NAFLD and confirming the presence of NASH. However, the invasiveness of this procedure limits its application to screening the general population or patients with contraindications for liver biopsy. The development of noninvasive diagnostic methods for NAFLD is of paramount importance. This review focuses on the updates of noninvasive diagnosis of NAFLD. Besides, we review clinical evidence supporting a strong association between NAFLD and the risk of cardiovascular disease because of the cross link between these two disorders.
authors: Kuang-Chun Hu, Horng-Yuan Wang, Chuan-Chuan Liu, Shou-Chuan Shih, Mackay Medical College, New Taipei City 25245, Taiwan.
authors: Kuang-Chun
authors: KC
authors: Hu
authors: Kuang-Chun Hu, Horng-Yuan Wang, Chuan-Chuan Liu, Shou-Chuan Shih, Mackay Medical College, New Taipei City 25245, Taiwan.
authors: Horng-Yuan
authors: HY
authors: Wang
authors: Kuang-Chun Hu, Horng-Yuan Wang, Chuan-Chuan Liu, Shou-Chuan Shih, Mackay Medical College, New Taipei City 25245, Taiwan.
authors: Sung-Chen
authors: SC
authors: Liu
authors: Kuang-Chun Hu, Horng-Yuan Wang, Chuan-Chuan Liu, Shou-Chuan Shih, Mackay Medical College, New Taipei City 25245, Taiwan.
authors: Chuan-Chuan
authors: CC
authors: Liu
authors: Kuang-Chun Hu, Horng-Yuan Wang, Chuan-Chuan Liu, Shou-Chuan Shih, Mackay Medical College, New Taipei City 25245, Taiwan.
authors: Chung-Lieh
authors: CL
authors: Hung
authors: Kuang-Chun Hu, Horng-Yuan Wang, Chuan-Chuan Liu, Shou-Chuan Shih, Mackay Medical College, New Taipei City 25245, Taiwan.
authors: Ming-Jong
authors: MJ
authors: Bair
authors: Kuang-Chun Hu, Horng-Yuan Wang, Chuan-Chuan Liu, Shou-Chuan Shih, Mackay Medical College, New Taipei City 25245, Taiwan.
authors: Chun-Jen
authors: CJ
authors: Liu
authors: Kuang-Chun Hu, Horng-Yuan Wang, Chuan-Chuan Liu, Shou-Chuan Shih, Mackay Medical College, New Taipei City 25245, Taiwan.
authors: Ming-Shiang
authors: MS
authors: Wu
authors: Kuang-Chun Hu, Horng-Yuan Wang, Chuan-Chuan Liu, Shou-Chuan Shih, Mackay Medical College, New Taipei City 25245, Taiwan.
authors: Shou-Chuan
authors: SC
authors: Shih
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001706:Biopsy; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D018450:Disease Progression; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques; D006801:Humans; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000097:blood*; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D018836:Inflammation Mediators
keywords: Cardiovascular disease; Image assessment; Laboratory biochemistry; Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; Noninvasive diagnosis