Guidelines established for diagnosis, treatment of NAFLD

A team of physicians has developed guidelines for diagnosing and managing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, according to a press release.

The guidelines, published in the June issues of American Journal of Gastroenterology, Gastroenterology, and Hepatology, are the first to be written for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) by the American Gastroenterological Association, the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the American College of Gastroenterology.

Naga P. Chalasani, MBBS

“Although the condition has been recognized for 100 years, because of the increasing frequency of obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome, the prevalence and incidence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is rapidly becoming the most common cause of cirrhosis in the United States,” said Naga P. Chalasani, MBBS, professor of medicine and director of the gastroenterology and hepatology division at the Indiana University School of Medicine, in a press release. Chalasani, who led the development team, said NAFLD is likely to become the most common reason for liver transplant within the next 10 to 15 years.

The guidelines were reviewed by Jean P. Molleston, MD, professor of clinical pediatrics and clinical medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine. Contributors included Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va.; Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.; University of Florida in Gainesville, Fla.; Washington University in St. Louis; Duke University in Durham, N.C.; Columbia University in New York, and the Center for Liver Diseases and the Department of Medicine at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church, Va.