Influence of lifestyle habits, nutritional status and insulin resistance in NAFLD.

Non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with obesity, diabetes and insulin resistance (IR). The aim of our study was to assess the relationship between IR, anthropometry, lifestyle habits, resting energy expenditure (REE) and degree of fatty liver at ultrasound in 48 overweight patients with NAFLD as compared to 24 controls without fatty liver, matched for age. Nutritional status, alcohol intake and physical activity were assessed by skinfold thickness measurements, a 7-day diary, and SenseWear armband (SWA).

Natural course of chronic HCV and HBV infection and role of alcohol in the general population: the Dionysos Study.

Background: Population-based studies of the natural course of chronic viral liver disease that consider comorbidity factors are lacking. Using data from the Dionysos Study, we quantified the burden of chronic viral liver disease and the role of alcohol intake to morbidity and mortality in a representative sample of subjects from the general population of two communities of Northern Italy.

Methods And Findings: We followed up 139 subjects with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and 61 with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection for a median (IQR) time of 8.

Incidence and natural course of fatty liver in the general population: the Dionysos study.

Unlabelled: Using the general population of the Dionysos Study, we followed up 144 subjects without fatty liver (FL(-)) and 336 with fatty liver (FL(+)) for a median time of 8.5 years. All subjects had suspected liver disease (SLD) defined as altered liver enzymes, high mean corpuscular volume, or low platelet count in the absence of HBV and HCV infection.

The Fatty Liver Index: a simple and accurate predictor of hepatic steatosis in the general population.

Background: Fatty liver (FL) is the most frequent liver disease in Western countries. We used data from the Dionysos Nutrition & Liver Study to develop a simple algorithm for the prediction of FL in the general population.

Methods: 216 subjects with and 280 without suspected liver disease were studied.

Prevalence of and risk factors for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: the Dionysos nutrition and liver study.

The prevalence of and the risk factors for fatty liver have not undergone a formal evaluation in a representative sample of the general population. We therefore performed a cross-sectional study in the town of Campogalliano (Modena, Italy), within the context of the Dionysos Project. Of 5,780 eligible persons aged 18 to 75 years, 3,345 (58%) agreed to participate in the study.

The epidemiology of fatty liver.

There are insufficient data available on the epidemiology of fatty liver to design a complete and correct view of the prevalence, incidence and natural history of this disorder. This article, mainly based on the revision of recently published papers in this field, attempts to give an overview of the current findings on the epidemiology of fatty liver worldwide. The possible factors involved in the development of fat accumulation in the liver, and their potential role in the progression of the disorder will be also addressed.