The prevalence of NAFLD has increased in the general population, especially in males. There is a linear relationship between the prevalence of NAFLD and various metabolic parameters, even in nonobese subjects. The prevalence of NASH with advanced fibrosis is estimated to be considerably high in subjects with NAFLD.

The severity of fatty liver was positively correlated with visceral fat accumulation and insulin resistance in both obese and nonobese subjects, suggesting that hepatic fat infiltration in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease may be influenced by visceral fat accumulation regardless of body mass index.

Our pilot study demonstrated that treatment with liraglutide had a good safety profile and significantly improved liver function and histological features in NASH patients with glucose intolerance.

Ultrasonic ARFI elastography is a novel, non-invasive and reliable method for the assessment of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic liver disease.

These results suggest that skeletal muscle fat accumulation may have been linked to the pathogenesis and severity of NASH.