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Epidemiology of alcoholic and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in C hina
Author(s) -
Fan JianGao
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of gastroenterology and hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.214
H-Index - 130
eISSN - 1440-1746
pISSN - 0815-9319
DOI - 10.1111/jgh.12036
Subject(s) - medicine , epidemiology , alcoholic liver disease , nonalcoholic fatty liver disease , fatty liver , disease , gastroenterology , cirrhosis
The prevalence of patients presenting with fatty liver disease ( FLD ) in C hina has approximately doubled over the past two decades. At present, FLD , which is typically diagnosed by imaging, is highly prevalent (∼27% urban population) in C hina and is mainly related to obesity and metabolic syndrome ( MetS ). However, the percentage of alcoholic liver disease (ALD) among patients with chronic liver diseases in clinic is increasing as well, and a synergetic effect exists between heavy alcohol drinking and obesity in ALD . Prevalence figures reveal regional variations, with a median prevalence of ALD and nonalcoholic FLD ( NAFLD ) of 4.5% and 15.0%, respectively. The prevalence of NAFLD in children is 2.1%, although the prevalence increases to 68.2% among obese children. With the increasing pandemic of obesity and MetS in the general population, C hina is likely to harbor an increasing reservoir of patients with FLD . The risk factors for FLD resemble to those of C aucasian counterparts, but the ethnic‐specific definitions of obesity and MetS are more useful in assessment of C hinese people. Therefore, FLD / NAFLD has become a most common chronic liver disease in C hina. Public health interventions are needed to halt the worldwide trend of obesity and alcohol abuse to ameliorate liver injury and to improve metabolic health.