PreambleThis guidance provides a data-supported approach to the diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive aspects of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) care. A "Guidance" document is different from a "Guideline." Guidelines are developed by a multidisciplinary panel of experts and rate the quality (level) of the evidence and the strength of each recommendation using the Grading Abbreviations: AASLD, American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases; ACG, American College of Gastroenterology; AIH, autoimmune hepatitis; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; APRI, AST to platelet ratio index; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; AUROC, area under the receiver operating

Background & Aims The drug-induced liver injury network (DILIN) is conducting a prospective study of patients with DILI in the United States. We present characteristics and subgroup analyses from the first 1257 patients enrolled in the study. Methods In an observational longitudinal study, we began collecting data on eligible individuals with suspected DILI in 2004, following them for 6 months or longer. Subjects were evaluated systematically for other etiologies, causes, and severity of DILI. Results Among 1257 enrolled subjects with suspected DILI, the causality was assessed in 1091 patients, and 899 were considered to have definite, highly likely, or probable DILI. Ten percent of patients died or underwent liver transplantation and 17% had chronic liver injury. In the 89 patients (10%) with pre-existing liver disease, DILI appeared to be more severe than in those without (difference not statistically significant; P=.09) and mortality was significantly higher (16% vs 5.2%; P<.001). Azithromycin was the implicated agent in a higher proportion of patients with pre-existing liver disease compared to those without liver disease (6.7% vs. 1.5%, p=0.006). Forty-one cases with latency ≤ 7 days were caused predominantly by antimicrobial agents (71%). Two most common causes for 60 DILI cases with latency >365 days were nitrofurantoin (25%) or minocycline (17%). There were no differences in outcomes of patients with short vs long latency of DILI. Compared to individuals younger than 65 y, individuals 65 y or older (n=149) were more likely to have cholestatic injury, although mortality and rate of liver transplantation did not differ. Nine patients (1%) had concomitant severe skin reactions; implicated agents were lamotrigine, azithromycin, carbamazepine, moxifloxacin, cephalexin, diclofenac, and nitrofurantoin. Four of these patients died. Conclusion Mortality from DILI is significantly higher in individuals with pre-existing liver disease or concomitant severe skin reactions compared to patients without. Further studies are needed to confirm the association between azithromycin and increased DILI in patients with chronic liver disease. Older age and short or long latencies are not associated with DILI mortality.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common cause of chronic liver disease in the general population. Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), the aggressive form of NAFLD, is associated with an increased risk of liver-related mortality and cardiovascular disease. Currently, a liver biopsy is the only generally acceptable method for the diagnosis of NASH and to assess its progression towards cirrhosis. While several treatments have shown evidence of efficacy in clinical trials of varying design, there are no approved treatments for NASH and published trials are often too divergent to allow meaningful comparisons. There is thus a lack of established non-invasive, point of care diagnostics and approved treatment on one hand and a substantial population burden of disease on the other. These provide the rationale to develop consensus on key endpoints and clinical trial design for NASH. This paper summarizes the consensus arrived at a meeting of the American Association for Study of Liver Diseases on the key endpoints and specific trial design issues that are germane for development of diagnostic biomarkers and treatment trials for NASH.

International cohort study 458 biopsy proven NAFLD Bridging fibrosis F3 (n=159) Liver cirrhosis F4 (n=299) Vascular events Non-hepatic cancers All deaths or liver transplantation Decompensation Moderate alcohol consumption

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is among the most common causes of chronic liver disease in the western world. It is now recognized that these patients have myriad of important co-morbidities (e.g., diabetes, hypothyroidism and metabolic syndrome). The workup of patients with suspected NAFLD should consist of excluding competing etiologies and systemic evaluation of metabolic comorbidities. NAFLD is histologically categorized into steatosis and steatohepatitis, two states with fairly dichotomous natural history. While significant progress has been made in terms of noninvasively predicting advanced fibrosis, insufficient progress has been made in predicting steatohepatitis. Currently, liver biopsy remains the gold standard for the histological stratification of NAFLD. While sustained weight loss can be effective to treat NASH, it is often difficult to achieve. Foregut bariatric surgery can be quite effective in improving hepatic histology in selected patients without liver failure or significant portal hypertension. Thiazolidinediones have shown promise and the results from the ongoing, large multicenter study should become available soon. Large multicenter studies of CB, receptor anatagonists are also underway but their results will not be available for several years. Several recent studies have highlighted that cardiovascular disease is the single most important cause of morbidity and mortality in this patient population. Conclusion: Health care providers should not only focus on liver disease but also concentrate on aggressively modifying and treating their cardiovascular risk factors. (HEPATOLOGY 2009;49:306-317.)