Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis: more than just being fat

Routine liver biopsy to screen for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) during cholecystectomy for gallstone disease: is it justified?

BACKGROUND

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and gallstone disease (GD) share common risk factors. There are no firm recommendations regarding screening of NAFLD in patients at risk. Our aim was to assess the prevalence of and factors associated with NAFLD in a cohort of patients operated for symptomatic GD and evaluate the usefulness of routine liver biopsy.

METHODS

Ninety-five consecutive patients underwent a liver biopsy at the end of a standard laparoscopic cholecystectomy for symptomatic GD. Clinical, biochemical, demographic, and anthropometric variables were obtained prospectively.

RESULTS

Fifty-two patients (55%) had biopsies compatible with NAFLD. These patients were classified according to the system proposed by Brunt et al. as follows: grade I, n = 27 (52%); grade II, n = 15 (29%); grade III, n = 10 (19%). Two grade III patients had zone III focal perisinusoidal fibrosis and three had overt cirrhosis. Only 13% of subjects had a suspected diagnosis of NAFLD preoperatively. In multivariate logistic regression, only obesity was significantly associated with NAFLD. There were no complications or mortality.

DISCUSSION

Fifty-five percent of patients with GD have associated NAFLD. Awareness of this association may result in an earlier diagnosis. The high prevalence of NAFLD in patients with GD may justify routine liver biopsy during cholecystectomy to establish the diagnosis, stage, and possible direct therapy.

Gallstone disease: Epidemiology of gallbladder stone disease

Gallstone disease is common: >700,000 cholecystectomies and costs of approximately 6.5 billion dollars annually in the U.S. The burden of disease is epidemic in American Indians (60-70%); a corresponding decrease occurs in Hispanics of mixed Indian origin. Ten to fifteen per cent of white adults in developed countries harbour gallstones. Frequency is further reduced in Black Americans, East Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. In developed countries, cholesterol gallstones predominate; 15% are black pigment. East Asians develop brown pigment stones in bile ducts, associated with biliary infection or parasites, or in intrahepatic ducts (hepatolithiasis). Certain risk factors for gallstones are immutable: female gender, increasing age and ethnicity/family (genetic traits). Others are modifiable: obesity, the metabolic syndrome, rapid weight loss, certain diseases (cirrhosis, Crohn's disease) and gallbladder stasis (from spinal cord injury or drugs like somatostatin). The only established dietary risk is a high caloric intake. Protective factors include diets containing fibre, vegetable protein, nuts, calcium, vitamin C, coffee and alcohol, plus physical activity.

Epidemiology and risk factors for gallstone disease: has the paradigm changed in the 21st century?

Gallstone disease is common and costly, creating over 700,000 cholecystectomies annually. Its complications consume approximately $6.5 billion in the United States. Surveys using noninvasive ultrasonography have identified its true prevalence and the associated risk factors. In developed countries, at least 10% of white adults harbor cholesterol gallstones; women have twice the risk, and age further increases the prevalence in both sexes. Gallstones reach epidemic proportions in the North and South American Indian populations, accompanied by an increased risk for gallbladder cancer. In contrast, the rate in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia is quite low. Obesity, a major risk factor, likely relates to insulin resistance (the metabolic syndrome). Evolution and circumstance in American Indians may have ironically selected those with "thrifty" genes that conserve energy. Our abundant access to food places us at the increased risk of obesity and cholelithiasis. The general rise in obesity in many countries raises the specter of heightened disease, best identified by epidemiologic studies.

Epidemiology and risk factors for gallstone disease: has the paradigm changed in the 21st century?

Gallstone disease is common and costly, creating over 700,000 cholecystectomies annually. Its complications consume approximately $6.5 billion in the United States. Surveys using noninvasive ultrasonography have identified its true prevalence and the associated risk factors. In developed countries, at least 10% of white adults harbor cholesterol gallstones; women have twice the risk, and age further increases the prevalence in both sexes. Gallstones reach epidemic proportions in the North and South American Indian populations, accompanied by an increased risk for gallbladder cancer. In contrast, the rate in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia is quite low. Obesity, a major risk factor, likely relates to insulin resistance (the metabolic syndrome). Evolution and circumstance in American Indians may have ironically selected those with "thrifty" genes that conserve energy. Our abundant access to food places us at the increased risk of obesity and cholelithiasis. The general rise in obesity in many countries raises the specter of heightened disease, best identified by epidemiologic studies.

Undetected hepatomegaly in obese children by primary care physicians: a pitfall in the diagnosis of pediatric nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

The diagnostic evaluation of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) relies on the initial detection of hepatomegaly or elevated serum aminotransferases by the primary care provider. In this investigation, the aptitude of the primary care provider to identify children with hepatomegaly and initiate an evaluation for NAFLD is determined. The physical examination findings and requests for diagnostic testing of 18 primary care physicians (and pediatric gastroenterologists) on 11 obese school-aged children, including a subset of children with hepatomegaly and NAFLD, were analyzed. In children with NAFLD, clinicians detected hepatomegaly in 1.4% of encounters and requested serum liver chemistries in 12.5% of encounters. Hepatomegaly is detected poorly in obese children by primary care physicians and thereby increases the likelihood of a delayed or omitted evaluation for NAFLD.