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Volume 7, Issue 7 (Suppl)
J Gastrointest Dig Syst
ISSN: 2161-069X JGDS, an open access journal
Gastroenterologists 2017
December 14-15, 2017
December 14-15, 2017 Dubai, UAE
11
th
World
Gastroenterologists Summit
Diagnosis and treatment in hepatology: The case of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Ludovico Abenavoli
University Magna Græcia of Catanzaro, Italy
H
epatic steatosis, a hallmark of non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD), is the hepatic manifestation of the metabolic
syndrome and can vary from simple steatosis to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The pathogenesis of NAFLD is
linked to a multiple-hit process. Although epidemiological data varies widely, it can be admitted that a realistic prevalence
is around 30% of the general population. Its high prevalence in the general population and its many causes and complex
mechanisms make it a pathology which must be treated and requires careful diagnosis also in terms of underlying causes,
which may strongly vary among subjects. Non-invasive diagnostic methods should be able to reflect the presence and severity
of liver fatty changes and the presence and severity of hepatic inflammation and fibrosis, since these are related to the risk of
progression and clinical complications. The recent awareness of the commonness of NAFLD has prompted intensive research
which unraveled many different mechanisms causing hepatic steatosis, from diet to intestinal diseases and liver receptors.
Epigenetic factors must be added to this list. The variety of causes and mechanisms open many different potential therapeutic
approaches. Performing randomized long-term clinical studies including liver biopsies appears as prerequisite to determine
which treatment is the most valuable, however not ignoring that the therapeutic choice may require individualization among
subjects as a function of the origins of NAFLD.
l.abenavoli@unicz.itJ Gastrointest Dig Syst 2017, 7:7 (Suppl)
DOI: 10.4172/2161-069X-C1-062