[Non alcoholic fatty liver disease: a new risk factor for cardiovascular disease?]

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease [NAFLD] is frequently diagnosed in daily practice. This condition is represented by a large spectrum of chronic liver diseases going from pure hepatic steatosis to cirrhosis and its complications, including hepatocellular carcinoma. NAFLD is usually associated to glucose and lipoproteins metabolism increasing the cardiovascular risk. To review new advances in the knowledge of the pathophysiological links between NAFLD and cardiovascular risk, evaluation of cardiovascular risk in this special situation and the different therapeutics proposed. Systematic review of the literature using medical data bases [Medline] with the following key words: non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, hepatic steatosis, cardiovascular risk, metabolic syndrome. We'll report pathophysiological links between NAFLD and cardiovascular risk, propose an evaluation of cardiovascular risk in this special situation and expose a therapeutic strategy. The discovery of a non alcoholic fatty liver disease should lead to a cardiovascular risk evaluation

[Nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux and sleep apnea: what relationship?]

Gastroesophageal reflux disease and nocturnal sleep disturbances are frequently encountered in clinical practice and are often associated. However, the combination of these two syndromes does not necessarily imply a cause and effect. In a more precise, the relationship between nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux and sleep apnea syndrome and the impact of specific therapies to each of these two syndromes on the other. Review of the literature. On the relationship between these two entities, it seems obvious that nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux affects the normal physiology of sleep and alters its quality and that the sleep apnea syndrome can aggravate reflux. On the frequency of their association, gastroesophageal reflux was observed in the presence of sleep apnea syndrome; in 27 to 75% of patients in studies that do not include pH-metric and polysomnographic recording simultaneously. Regarding treatment, continuous positive airway pressure seems to improve night time gastroesophageal reflux both in terms of symptoms that pH-metric results. Similarly, inhibitors of proton pump inhibitors have demonstrated their effectiveness in combination with specific treatment, in improving symptoms caused by sleep apnea syndrome. We can confirm that there is a strong link between nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux and sleep apnea syndrome but causality is hard to be confirmed. Moreover, it seems useful to look for sleep disorders in patients with nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux also to suggest the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux in patients with sleep apnea syndrome