Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Unique Entity or Part of the Metabolic Syndrome or Both

Med Clin North Am. 2023 May;107(3):449-463. doi: 10.1016/j.mcna.2022.12.003. Epub 2023 Feb 20.

Abstract

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a global public health problem. NAFLD is bidirectionally correlated with metabolic syndrome, which includes obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia as major components. The presence of metabolic syndrome is associated with a higher prevalence of NAFLD, and vice versa. Also, the presence of metabolic syndrome in patients with NAFLD has been linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases, liver-related complications, extrahepatic malignancies, and mortality, and possibly vice versa. Multidisciplinary care pathways including lifestyle modifications, control of metabolic risk, and potentially beneficial treatments are important to improve the clinical outcomes of patients with NAFLD.

Keywords: Dyslipidemia; Hypertension; Malignancies; Obesity; Type 2 diabetes.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Cardiovascular Diseases* / complications
  • Cardiovascular Diseases* / etiology
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2*
  • Humans
  • Metabolic Syndrome* / complications
  • Metabolic Syndrome* / epidemiology
  • Metabolic Syndrome* / therapy
  • Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease* / complications
  • Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease* / diagnosis
  • Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease* / epidemiology
  • Obesity / epidemiology