title: Knowing What's Out There: Awareness of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common hepatic disorder, which poses a significant health burden in the western countries. As the epidemic of obesity slides health downward, the incidence of NAFLD is evidently increasing.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to ascertain the awareness of NAFLD and its risk factors in the general population, which may be helpful in designing educational tools to promote prevention, early detection, and treatment of this disorder.
  
  
  METHODS
  A survey of 5000 non-institutionalized residents of Brooklyn, NY, USA was conducted. Sixteen items were included in the survey questionnaire including awareness of fatty liver, predisposing factors of NAFLD, awareness of cirrhosis, and conditions that advance to cirrhosis. The questionnaire also addressed awareness of prevention, diagnostic methods and treatment of NAFLD, and education of physicians to their patients about NAFLD.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overwhelming majority of the subjects was not aware of NAFLD and stated that their physicians did not have a discussion about NAFLD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a preventable liver disorder with limited treatment options. Thorough counseling by primary care physicians can be of paramount importance in preventive strategy for NAFLD. We should target our teenage population in an era of obesity epidemics of all times.
authors: Division of Gastroenterology, Elmhurst Hospital Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai , Elmhurst, NY , USA.
authors: Vishal
authors: V
authors: Ghevariya
authors: Division of Gastroenterology, Elmhurst Hospital Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai , Elmhurst, NY , USA.
authors: Nan
authors: N
authors: Sandar
authors: Division of Gastroenterology, The Brooklyn Hospital Center, Weill Cornell Medical School , Brooklyn, NY , USA.
authors: Kishor
authors: K
authors: Patel
authors: Division of Gastroenterology, The Brooklyn Hospital Center, Weill Cornell Medical School , Brooklyn, NY , USA.
authors: Nehal
authors: N
authors: Ghevariya
authors: Division of Gastroenterology, Elmhurst Hospital Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai , Elmhurst, NY , USA.
authors: Ruchit
authors: R
authors: Shah
authors: Division of Gastroenterology, Elmhurst Hospital Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai , Elmhurst, NY , USA.
authors: Joshua
authors: J
authors: Aron
authors: Division of Gastroenterology, The Brooklyn Hospital Center, Weill Cornell Medical School , Brooklyn, NY , USA.
authors: Sury
authors: S
authors: Anand
keywords: cirrhosis; fatty liver; liver cancer; non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; steatohepatitis; steatosis