Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, a chronic liver disease, affects more than 20 percent of all American adults. It has strong links to diabetes, obesity and insulin resistance and can lead to cirrhosis and liver failure or cancer.
You may suffer with one of three forms of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD):
- Simple steatosis, often discovered during routine blood tests, is the most common form and refers to the presence of fat deposits within liver cells, which damage the liver.
- Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) causes inflammation and liver scar tissue or fibrosis.
- NASH-related cirrhosis, the most serious form, can lead to liver failure and require a liver transplant.
The Fatty Liver Clinic at the California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) in San Francisco is one of eight centers in the U.S. focusing on innovative research in this serious illness. You’ll be seen by liver specialists who have extensive expertise in caring for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
When you come to the clinic, you’ll undergo an initial one-hour evaluation by a hepatologist to identify factors that may increase your risk of disease progression. If you have NAFLD but few risk factors for progression to more advanced forms, follow-up visits may be as infrequent as every three to five years.
If you’re diagnosed with NASH, you’ll be followed more closely and may be offered medical treatment, including the possibility of medications available only through a clinical trial. If you have NRC, you’ll require regular visits with a liver specialist, as well as liver ultrasounds every six months to screen for liver cancer.
Along with comprehensive disease evaluation and management services, we offer access to clinical trials and participate in leading-edge research studies. Current research focuses on treatment with new medications, advanced liver imaging techniques, dietary interventions and genetic and metabolic studies.
