On the heels of a previous post about NAFLD/ NASH (nonalcoholic liver disease) – Medscape just published new treatment guidelines along was part of an on-going series of articles on  fatty liver disease.

While Medscape is free – it does require a subscription to view, so I’ve re-posted the articles (as downloadable pdfs) here for interested readers.  I would also like to encourage people to sign up with Medscape.com on-line.

Guidelines:

Diagnosis and Management of NAFLD: New Guidelines – David A. Johnson

Summary of new guidelines for treatment of fatty liver disease  – Laurie Barclay

However, there are some concerns related to these new guidelines – primarily the recommendations for Vitamin E and other supplements for biopsy-proven NAFLD.  The biggest concerns relate to the availability and purity of these products.  Caution is advised in the use of unregulated over-the-counter supplements since the purity and efficacy of these products may vary widely.

In the ‘Ask the Experts’ readers ask Dr. William F. Balistreri, MD – Is the Prevalence of NASH Really Rising?   In another article, Dr. Balistreri addresses, How Can I Convince My Patients That NASH Is Serious?

As we’ve discussed before, the incidence of fatty liver disease is on par with the expanding obesity epidemic – and histological evidence of liver disease is apparent in over 70% of bariatric surgery patients (at the time of surgery.)

Now doctors are seeing in younger patients – as the more and more kids become obese. In the article [below] by Helwick,  10% of all adolescents in the USA are estimated to have fatty liver disease.

A Fat Kid With a Fatty Liver: Case Challenge – Valerio Nobili, MD; Massimiliano Raponi, MD

Prevalence of NAFLD Increasing Among American Adolescents -Caroline Helwick

Of course, some of this is old news to long-time readers, who read Charlotte Rabl and Guilherme M. Campos’ article, The Impact of Bariatric Surgery on Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis here at Cartagena Surgery, way back in April 2012 as part of our on-going discussions on bariatric surgery.

This article was just this beginning; with another article published just a few weeks later by Sindu Stephen; Ancha Baranova and Zobair M Younossi.  Their article, Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Bariatric Surgery reinforced the idea of bariatric surgery as a reasonable option for obese patients with liver disease.

For everyone looking for information on fatty liver disease, I hope these articles get you started.. Then head over to Medscape for the full library of resources.