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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staff
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is a term used to describe the accumulation of fat in the liver of people who drink little or no alcohol.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is common and, for most people, causes no signs and symptoms and no complications. But in some people with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, the fat that accumulates can cause inflammation and scarring in the liver. This more serious form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is sometimes called nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. At its most severe, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease can progress to liver failure.
References
- Feldstein AE, et al. Fatty liver disease. The American College of Gastroenterology. http://www.acg.gi.org/patients/gihealth/fld.asp. Accessed Dec. 10, 2010.
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. American Liver Foundation. http://www.liverfoundation.org/abouttheliver/info/nafld/. Accessed Dec. 10, 2010.
- Reid AE. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. In: Feldman M, et al. Sleisenger & Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, Management. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-6189-2..X0001-7--TOP&isbn=978-1-4160-6189-2&about=true&uniqId=229935664-2192. Accessed Dec. 10, 2010.
- Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/nash/index.htm. Accessed Dec. 10, 2010.
- Musso G, et al. A meta-analysis of randomized trials for the treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Hepatology. 2010;52:79.
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