Comorbid diseases in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease / 대한내과학회지

ABSTRACT

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a wide spectrum of diseases that are ranging from simple steatosis to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and cirrhosis. NAFLD has been recognized as a hepatic feature of metabolic syndrome linked with insulin resistance. Recent evidence supports that NAFLD is associated with numerous systemic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome. Therefore, NAFLD should be newly considered not only an liver specific disease, but also early mediator of systemic metabolic disease. The underlying mechanism and pathogenesis of harmful effect of NAFLD on other medical disorders are yet to be fully understood and major questions remain that must be solved to decreased morbidity and mortality from the spectrum of NAFLD. So further research is needed for future therapeutic strategies of NAFLD. This review focuses on the relationship between NAFLD and various comorbid disease.