Metabolites (Apr 2023)

Screening for NAFLD—Current Knowledge and Challenges

  • Roberta Forlano,
  • Giordano Sigon,
  • Benjamin H. Mullish,
  • Michael Yee,
  • Pinelopi Manousou

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo13040536
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13, no. 4
p. 536

Abstract

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Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of abnormal liver function tests worldwide, with an estimated prevalence ranging between 19–46% in the general population. Of note, NAFLD is also expected to become a leading cause of end-stage liver disease in the next decades. Given the high prevalence and severity of NAFLD, especially in high-risk populations (i.e., patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus and/or obesity), there is a major interest in early detection of the disease in primary care. Nevertheless, substantial uncertainties still surround the development of a screening policy for NAFLD, such as limitations in currently used non-invasive markers of fibrosis, cost-effectiveness and the absence of a licensed treatment. In this review, we summarise current knowledge and try to identify the limitations surrounding the screening policy for NAFLD in primary care.

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