A 25-Year-Old Woman with Type 2 Diabetes and Liver Disease

A 25-year-old female nurse was referred to our diabetes outpatient clinic with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes, obesity and elevated liver function tests (LFTs). Following a liver biopsy she was diagnosed with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and liver fibrosis. Treatment with subcutaneous injections of the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonist liraglutide was initiated. After 46 weeks of treatment the patient had lost 16 kg, glycemic control was excellent and LFTs had normalized. Repeat liver biopsy and ultrasound showed reduction in hepatic fat content and inflammatory cells. The biopsy no longer fulfilled the criteria for NASH. The liver biopsies did not express hepatic GLP-1Rs using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Our case suggests that liraglutide may benefit patients with NASH.