Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), Adipocytokines and Diabetes Mellitus

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which includes nonalcoholic steatosis and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), describes the clinicopathologic spectrum of alcohollike liver disease in the nonalcoholic [Ludwig et al 1980]. Although it may be observed as an iatrogenic complication (due to drugs or anti-obesity surgery) or secondary to various other conditions (toxins, lipodystrophic syndromes, hypobetalipoproteinemia), NAFLD most commonly occurs as a primary (idiopathic) disease. The clinical importance of primary NAFLD appears to rest on three main observations: • It commonly occurs in the general population worldwide and among patients presenting with unexplained mild to moderate raised aminotransferase levels . • It is not a sign or symptom of disease but it is a pathological condition that has the potential to progress to advanced hepatic and extrahepatic disease ,and to interact with other etiologies of liver disease . • It may recur following orthotopic liver transplantation and poses a heavy burden of complications in the setting of major extrahepatic and liver-related surgery .