Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

doi:10.1136/bmj.b2474

Published 16 July 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b2474
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;339:b2474

Practice

10-Minute Consultation

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Neeraj Bhala, research fellow¹, Tim Usherwood, professor of general practice², Jacob George, professor of gastroenterology and hepatic medicine¹

¹ Storr Liver Unit, Westmead Millennium Institute, University of Sydney and Westmead Hospital, Sydney, NSW 2145, Australia, ² University of Sydney and Westmead Hospital

Correspondence to: N Bhala neeraj.bhala@ctsu.ox.ac.uk

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

A 45 year old man with known hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus,and central obesity presents with fatigue and mild discomfortin the abdominal right upper quadrant. Repeated blood testsshow a persistent alanine aminotransferase concentration of100 IU/l (reference range 10-50) and a ${gamma}$ glutamyl transferaseconcentration of 80 IU/l (range 10-50) with serum bilirubinand other liver test results in the normal range. He drinkstwo glasses of wine a month and denies any history of excessivealcohol consumption. Tests (including negative serology forhepatitis B and C viruses) exclude other causes of liver dysfunction.You explain that he is likely to have non-alcoholic fatty liverdisease.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, the hepatic manifestationof the metabolic syndrome, occurs predominantly in patientswith central obesity, hypertension, abnormal glucose tolerance,and dyslipidaemia. It is now the most common cause of abnormalliver function test results, with a prevalence approaching 30%. . . [Full text of this article]

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