Knowing What’s Out There: Awareness of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Abstract

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common hepatic disorder, which poses a significant health burden in the western countries. As the epidemic of obesity slides health downward, the incidence of NAFLD is evidently increasing.Aim: We aimed to ascertain the awareness of NAFLD and its risk factors in the general population, which may be helpful in designing educational tools to promote prevention, early detection, and treatment of this disorder.Methods: A survey of 5000 non-institutionalized residents of Brooklyn, NY, USA was conducted. Sixteen items were included in the survey questionnaire including awareness of fatty liver, predisposing factors of NAFLD, awareness of cirrhosis, and conditions that advance to cirrhosis. The questionnaire also addressed awareness of prevention, diagnostic methods and treatment of NAFLD, and education of physicians to their patients about NAFLD.Results: Overwhelming majority of the subjects was not aware of NAFLD and stated that their physicians did not have a discussion about NAFLD.Conclusion: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a preventable liver disorder with limited treatment options. Thorough counseling by primary care physicians can be of paramount importance in preventive strategy for NAFLD. We should target our teenage population in an era of obesity epidemics of all times.

Impact of a structured lifestyle programme on patients with metabolic syndrome complicated by non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease

“…Also of note, an additional one third of NAFLD patients were under the care of a GI provider for other conditions (eg, acid reflux and diarrhoea), but they did not receive care related to NAFLD. Taken together, this pattern of care reflects low disease awareness among patients and providers, even in the face of multiple metabolic risk factors . These care patterns also reflect perceptions regarding the clinical significance and treatment options for NAFLD held by many providers .…”

“…Taken together, this pattern of care reflects low disease awareness among patients and providers, even in the face of multiple metabolic risk factors. 21,22 These care patterns also reflect perceptions regarding the clinical significance and treatment options for NAFLD held by many providers. 23 This low rate of referral to GI/Hepatology is in line with data from prior studies where 71% of providers reported that they did not refer patients with suspected NAFLD to GI/Hepatology.…”

Ethnic influence on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease prevalence and lack of disease awareness in the United States, 2011–2016

“…But, since NASH can spontaneously regress, this question will be an important one to ask when studying the natural history of NAFLD/NASH. Therefore, to increase awareness, we recommend that focus be continued on educating not only the public but also the healthcare practitioners who are most likely to encounter NAFLD patients first .…”

NASH‐related cirrhosis: An occult liver disease burden

“…Several studies (5, 6) have shown that NAFLD is not regarded as a clinically important diagnosis by a significant proportion of providers who underestimate disease prevalence among their patients and do not identify those factors associated with more serious or advanced disease (7). The latter determines a non-focused management and limited referral of patients to hepatology clinics and, eventually, to lack of recognition of advanced liver disease.…”