Abstract:
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is fast becoming
the leading cause of liver disease in Western
countries, affecting 25% of the general population1 and
increasing to 90% of obese individuals with diabetes
and other features of the metabolic syndrome.2 Moreover,
its prevalence is expected to continue to rise in parallel
with the obesity epidemic due to the adoption of
sedentary lifestyle and increased consumption of high
fat diet.3 In the United States, NAFLD is expected to
become the leading indication for liver transplantation
(LT) within the next 10 years.4 NAFLD is currently
considered to be a major health burden in developed
countries and is gradually increasing in developing
countries due to urbanization and change in lifestyle
habits, particularly in the countries of Arabian Gulf
(with the highest incidence in the world), but it cannot
be ignored in West Africa, where the problem is becoming
steadily more prevalent