Published in:
01-06-2017 | Hepatitis B (J Lim, Section Editor)
Impact of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease on Chronic Hepatitis B Infection
Authors:
Anthony W.H. Chan, Grace L.H. Wong, Vincent W.S. Wong
Published in:
Current Hepatology Reports
|
Issue 2/2017
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Abstract
Purpose of review
Both chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are frequent liver diseases with substantial morbidity and mortality. How often do these two diseases occur together? Does hepatitis B virus protect or promote concurrent fatty liver? How does concurrent fatty liver influence the clinical outcomes of CHB? We summarized the latest evidence to tackle all these clinically significant questions.
Recent findings
Concurrent fatty liver in CHB without significant alcohol intake is a common and increasingly alarming problem. Patients with CHB have a lower chance of fatty liver than the general population, but the underlying mechanism remains to be further explored. Clinical impacts of concurrent fatty liver among CHB patients, in terms of treatment response, fibrosis and cirrhosis progression, liver cancer risk, and mortality, are still debatable.
Summary
Concurrent fatty liver in CHB is a common and clinically relevant condition.