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World J Gastroenterol. Jul 21, 2014; 20(27): 9050-9054
Published online Jul 21, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i27.9050
Epidemiology of fatty liver: An update
Giorgio Bedogni, Valerio Nobili, Claudio Tiribelli
Giorgio Bedogni, Claudio Tiribelli, Liver Research Center, Fondazione Italiana Fegato-ONLUS, 34013 Trieste, Italy
Giorgio Bedogni, International Center for the Assessment of Nutritional Status, University of Milan, 20126 Milan, Italy
Valerio Nobili, Liver Research Unit, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy
Claudio Tiribelli, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Trieste, 34013 Trieste, Italy
Author contributions: All the authors contributed to this paper equally.
Correspondence to: Giorgio Bedogni, MD, Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Liver Research Center, Fondazione Italiana Fegato-ONLUS, Building Q, Strada Statale 14 - km 163.5, Basovizza, 34013 Trieste, Italy. giorgiobedogni@gmail.com
Telephone: +39-522-1714445 Fax: +39-522-841949
Received: November 4, 2013
Revised: January 14, 2014
Accepted: February 17, 2014
Published online: July 21, 2014
Processing time: 259 Days and 0.2 Hours
Abstract

We provide a concise review of the main epidemiological literature on fatty liver (FL) published between January 2011 and October 2013. The findings from the literature will be considered in light of the already available knowledge. We discuss the limitations inherent in the categorization of FL into non-alcoholic and alcoholic FL, the potential relevance of FL as an independent predictor of cardiometabolic disease, and recent research addressing the role of FL as an independent predictor of mortality. This review is organized as a series of answers to relevant questions about the epidemiology of FL.

Keywords: Fatty liver; Epidemiology

Core tip: We discuss the limitations inherent in the division of fatty liver into non-alcoholic and alcoholic FL, the potential relevance of FL as an independent predictor of cardiometabolic disease, and recent research addressing the role of FL as an independent predictor of mortality.