©The Author(s) 2015. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Hepatol. May 28, 2015; 7(9): 1251-1257
Published online May 28, 2015. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v7.i9.1251
Published online May 28, 2015. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v7.i9.1251
Valproic acid and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: A possible association?
Edoardo Farinelli, David Giampaoli, Anja Cenciarini, Alberto Verrotti, Department of Pediatrics, University of Perugia, 06100 Perugia, Italy
Ephraim Cercado, General Surgery Department, Lung Center of the Philippines, Quezon Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City, 1101 Metro Manila, Philippines
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to this work.
Conflict-of-interest: The researchers involved in this study have no financial interests and are not affiliated in any company involved with the medications mentioned in this research.
Correspondence to: Alberto Verrotti, MD, PhD, Department of Pediatrics, University of Perugia, Via G. Dottori 1, 06100 Perugia, Italy. averrott@unich.it
Telephone: +39-075-5782491 Fax: +39-075-5782492
Received: November 19, 2014
Peer-review started: November 22, 2014
First decision: December 26, 2014
Revised: January 21, 2015
Accepted: February 4, 2015
Article in press: February 9, 2015
Published online: May 28, 2015
Processing time: 182 Days and 8.5 Hours
Peer-review started: November 22, 2014
First decision: December 26, 2014
Revised: January 21, 2015
Accepted: February 4, 2015
Article in press: February 9, 2015
Published online: May 28, 2015
Processing time: 182 Days and 8.5 Hours
Core Tip
Core tip: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a major medical issue worldwide. It affects 20%-25% of the general population including children. The term NAFLD covers a wide spectrum of hepatic diseases. These diseases include simple hepatic steatosis, inflammation, cirrhosis and the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. Valproic acid (VPA), one of the most used anti-epileptic drugs, has been investigated as a contributing factor for the development of NAFLD. This association seems stronger with long term VPA therapy. Further studies are required to determine the mechanism of this association.