Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Alcohol abuse is the most common cause of fatty liver disease, but it is now apparent that fat deposition in the liver, and its consequences, may occur without alcohol abuse. The principal risk factors are obesity, non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, and hyperlipidemia. The disorder has a wide clinical spectrum, ranging from asymptomatic steatosis to steatohepatitis, fibrosis, and cirrhosis. This article provides a broad overview of this increasingly recognized liver disease.