Editorial
Copyright ©2007 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Sep 21, 2007; 13(35): 4669-4672
Published online Sep 21, 2007. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v13.i35.4669
Should nonalcoholic fatty liver disease be regarded as a hepatic illness only?
Giovanni Tarantino
Giovanni Tarantino, Section of Hepatology in Internal Medicine, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Federico II University Medical School of Naples, Italy
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Correspondence to: Giovanni Tarantino, MD, Section of Hepatology in Internal Medicine, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Federico II University Medical School of Naples, Italy. tarantin@unina.it
Telephone: +39-81-7462024 Fax: +39-81-5466152
Received: June 2, 2007
Revised: July 20, 2007
Accepted: July 23, 2007
Published online: September 21, 2007
Abstract

The highly increasing prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus in the general population makes nonalcoholic fatty liver disease the most common diagnosis in every-day practices. Lifestyle changes (mainly exercise withdrawal and weight gain) have probably heightened the prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Mortality in patients with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease is significantly higher when compared with that of the same age-gender general population. Hepatologists claim to bear a new burden, being Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease strongly linked to systemic diseases.

Keywords: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, Metabolic syndrome, Diabetes mellitus, Obesity, Polycystic ovary sindrome, Obstructive sleep apnea, Cardiovascular disease