Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) – epidemic of the XXI century

Dominika Maciejewska
Ewa Stachowska

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Publication date

July 2018

DOI

10.5604/01.3001.0012.2054

Publisher

Index Copernicus

ISSN

0032-5449

Journal

Postępy Higieny i Medycyny Doświadczalnej

Abstract

The term “non-alcoholic fatty liver disease” (NAFLD) was first introduced by Ludwig in 1980. He described NAFLD as a liver disease characterized by lipid accumulation in the hepatocytes of people who do not abuse alcohol (<20g/ethanol/day). NAFLD comprises of a range of disorders, including simple fatty liver without the symptoms of damaged hepatocytes, as well as complex fatty liver with an ongoing inflammation and developing fibrosis. It is estimated that 2-44% of adult Europeans will develop a fatty liver. The pathogenesis and development of NAFLD is a complicated process involving numerous factors, such as: dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, overweight, obesity, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, the development of an inflamma...