Systematic Reviews
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2015. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Hepatol. Jul 8, 2015; 7(13): 1788-1796
Published online Jul 8, 2015. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v7.i13.1788
Non-alcohol fatty liver disease in Asia: Prevention and planning
Sara Ashtari, Mohamad Amin Pourhoseingholi, Mohamad Reza Zali
Sara Ashtari, Mohamad Amin Pourhoseingholi, Mohamad Reza Zali, Gastroenterology and Liver Disease Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science, Tehran 1985717413, Iran
Author contributions: Pourhoseingholi MA and Zali MR designed the research; Ashtari S performed the research and writes the paper.
Supported by Gastroenterology and Liver Disease Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors have not declared any conflicts-of-interest.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Sara Ashtari, MSc, Gastroenterology and Liver Disease Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science, Tabnak St, Yaman Ave, Velenjak, Tehran 1985717413, Iran. sara_ashtari@yahoo.com
Telephone: +98-21-22432515 Fax: +98-21-22432517
Received: October 11, 2014
Peer-review started: October 13, 2014
First decision: October 28, 2014
Revised: December 3, 2014
Accepted: May 5, 2015
Article in press: May 6, 2015
Published online: July 8, 2015
Processing time: 271 Days and 22.9 Hours
Abstract

AIM: To review all of epidemiological aspects of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and also prevent this disease is examined.

METHODS: We conducted a systematic review according to the PRISMA guidelines. All searches for writing this review is based on the papers was found in PubMed (MEDLINE), Cochrane database and Scopus in August and September 2014 for topic of NAFLD in Asia and the way of prevention of this disease, with no language limitations. All relevant articles were accessed in full text and all relevant materials was evaluated and reviewed.

RESULTS: NAFLD is the most common liver disorder in worldwide, with an estimated with 20%-30% prevalence in Western countries and 2%-4% worldwide. The prevalence of NAFLD in Asia, depending on location (urban vs rural), gender, ethnicity, and age is variable between 15%-20%. According to the many studies in the world, the relationship between NAFLD, obesity, diabetes mellitus, and metabolic syndrome (MS) is quiet obvious. Prevalence of NAFLD in Asian countries seems to be lower than the Western countries but, it has increased recently due to the rise of obesity, type 2 diabetes and MS in this region. One of the main reasons for the increase in obesity, diabetes and MS in Asia is a lifestyle change and industrialization. Today, NAFLD is recognized as a major chronic liver disease in Asia. Therefore, prevention of this disease in Asian countries is very important and the best strategy for prevention and control of NAFLD is lifestyle modifications. Lifestyle modification programs are typically designed to change bad eating habits and increase physical activity that is associated with clinically significant improvements in obesity, type 2 diabetes and MS.

CONCLUSION: Prevention of NAFLD is very important in Asian countries particularly in Arab countries because of high prevalence of obesity, diabetes and MS.

Keywords: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; Metabolic risk factors; Asian countries; Prevention

Core tip: Today non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the main concerns of the medical world. NAFLD is identified as a main risk factor for chronic liver disease across the world. NAFLD is clearly linked with obesity, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome (MS). The prevalence of NAFLD is lower in Asian countries than Western countries but, it has increased dramatically in recent years because of increasing rate of obesity, type 2 diabetes and MS in this region. The high prevalence of obesity with diabetes, and MS would increase the risk of NAFLD in recent years. So, prevention of these factors is the key strategy to reduce the incidence of NAFLD.