Surgical treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in severely obese patients.
Obesity is a multi-organ system disease with underlying metabolic abnormalities and chronic systemic inflammation. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a hepatic manifestation of obesity metabolic dysfunction and its associated cardiovascular- and liver-related morbidities and mortality. Our current understanding of NAFLD pathogenesis, disease characteristics, the role of insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, gut-liver and gut-brain crosstalk and the effectiveness of pharmacotherapy is still evolving. Bariatric surgery significantly improves metabolic and NAFLD histology in severely obese patients, although its positive effects on fibrosis are not universal. Bariatric surgery benefits NAFLD through its metabolic effect on insulin resistance, inflammation, and insulinotropic and anorexinogenic gastrointestinal hormones. Further studies are needed to understand the natural course of NAFLD in severely obese patients and the role of weight loss surgery as a primary treatment for NAFLD.
University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, Children's Hospital of Illinois, Department of Surgery/Pediatric Surgery, Peoria, IL, USA.
Steven J
SJ
Vander Naalt
University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, Children's Hospital of Illinois, Department of Surgery/Pediatric Surgery, Peoria, IL, USA.
Juan P
JP
Gurria
University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, Children's Hospital of Illinois, Department of Surgery/Pediatric Surgery, Peoria, IL, USA.
AiXuan L
AL
Holterman
NAFLD; bariatric surgery; severe obesity