Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and the risk of metabolic comorbidities: how to manage in clinical practice

Abstract

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a clinical condition that encompasses various forms of liver damage not caused by chronic alcohol consumption. In the absence of other etiologies, it ranges from steatosis to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and cirrhosis. The prevalence of NAFLD has considerably increased over the last years owing to the current lifestyle (unhealthy diet and sedentarism). Besides, it is associated with metabolic risk factors such as obesity, arterial hypertension, dyslipidemia, and type 2 diabetes. Given the poor prognosis of patients with advanced NAFLD, a practical therapeutic approach is necessary to halt its natural history. However, no licensed drugs have been approved for this purpose to date. Nowadays, we are in a race to find the first drug able to stop the incidence of NAFLD and reverse the disease in patients at more advanced stages. Meanwhile, the management of the NAFLD metabolic overload, including weight loss, cardiovascular protection, insulin sensitization, and lipid reduction, is the only strategy to improve hepatic and extrahepatic outcomes. In this review, we aimed to describe the management of the main metabolic disorders related to NAFLD, such as type 2 diabetes, arterial hypertension, and dyslipidemia.