NALFD are initials that stand for Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. The causes are many but number one is obesity.
1) It was initially thought that the profile for a patient with NALFD was a middle-aged obese woman. This has since been shown to be false. It appears to be associated with obesity and can occur in either sex and is being diagnosed at earlier and earlier ages. There appears to be a direct association with obesity and especially with the consumption of high fructose corn syrup which is ubiquitous in our processed foods.
If you, your spouse or your children are obese (body mass index above 30 - you must use a special chart for children) your physician should check the obese individuals blood for abnormal liver function tests.
2) NALFD has several causes. 60-90 % of individuals diagnosed also have diabetes. 28-55% will have type ll Diabetes. 20-90 % will have abnormally elevated blood fats (cholesterol and triglycerides). It is thought that 20% of the US population may have NALFD. It usually does not proceed to cirrhosis and liver failure, but with diagnosis of younger and younger patients with this problem, that may not hold true over 50 years.
If other causes of elevated liver functions can be excluded through historical information, blood tests and ultrasound exam of the liver, then a diagnosis of NALFD can be supposed. The only way to make the diagnosis with certainty is by liver biopsy. This may change as magnetic imaging techniques are improved.
3) The obese diabetic patient with high blood fats is at greatest risk. The obese patient with metabolic syndrome which includes many children is another profile (that may include up to 10% of children) at high risk for NALFD.
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