Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: an update on diagnosis

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its sub-entity, the non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) represent a field of a tremendous progress in recent years. Clinicians need to remain updated with new data on pathogenesis and therapy. The present mini review aims to present some new scientific reports on the diagnosis of NAFLD and NASH for clinical practitioners. METHODS: A systematic literature search of the main international databases was performed. We looked for seminal and innovative papers published in main international languages. A narrative review of the topic was consequently written. RESULTS: This review describes new data on the diagnosis of NAFLD including NASH. Liver punction biopsy remains the gold standard. However many patients and clinicians prefer to use noninvasive methods. We present the serological tests and the imaging methods used to diagnose inflammation and fibrosis occurring in NAFLD and NASH. CONCLUSIONS: NAFLD-NASH are multifaceted entities that have to be diagnosed and treated by skilled and informed practitioners.