Comprehensive review on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

The most common form of chronic liver disease today is represented by non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and it has risen tremendously all over the world together with the epidemics of obesity and type 2 diabetes. This spectrum includes the mildest and most severe forms of simple hepatic steatosis, cirrhosis, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and fibrosis. NAFLD is not limited to hepatic pathology; rather, it behaves as a multisystem disorder that exacerbates a wide range of extrahepatic diseases, including chronic renal disease, sleep apnea, and cardiovascular diseases. This type of fatty liver disease has significant impacts on health-related quality of life. It is very expensive, but little is known about its pathophysiology, genetic predispositions, or environmental factors. Diagnostic evaluation is based mainly on the clinical assessment, histological testing, and imaging methods. There are no specific pharmaceutical therapies available; hence, it is mostly managed by lifestyle adjustments. With the rising incidence, the effects of NAFLD on public health are more obvious. There is a greater burden of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease because of the apparent irreversibility of the rising trends in incidence of type 2 diabetes and obesity. This puts pressure for more research in the area within medical and public health initiatives. Research is in progress to identify the reliable markers for its early detection, monitoring the activity of the disease, and molecular mechanisms that participate in the development and progression of the disease. Another important measure against this growing burden of NAFLD is a reduction in the prevalence of obesity by dietary interventions, exercise, and lifestyle changes by public health interventions. The current review aims to piece together the events of pathogenesis, diagnostic approaches, and management strategies for NAFLD but underlines the urgent need for new research and therapeutic interventions so that this escalative public health problem guarantees best possible outcomes for all patients with reduced health burden from this very common and increasingly prevalent disease.