©The Author(s) 2017. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Pathophysiol. Aug 15, 2017; 8(3): 100-107
Published online Aug 15, 2017. doi: 10.4291/wjgp.v8.i3.100
Published online Aug 15, 2017. doi: 10.4291/wjgp.v8.i3.100
Fatty liver without a large “belly”: Magnified review of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in non-obese patients
Mohamad H Yousef, Alhareth Al Juboori, Abdulmajeed A Albarrak, Jamal A Ibdah, Veysel Tahan, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65212, United States
Author contributions: All authors contributed to the acquisition of data, writing, and revision of this manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors have no conflicts of interests to declare.
Correspondence to: Veysel Tahan, MD, FACG, FEBGH, Professor (As) of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Missouri, 1 Hospital Dr, Columbia, MO 65212, United States. tahanv@health.missouri.edu
Telephone: +1-573-8846044 Fax: +1-573-8844595
Received: March 19, 2017
Peer-review started: March 20, 2017
First decision: May 9, 2017
Revised: May 22, 2017
Accepted: June 19, 2017
Article in press: June 20, 2017
Published online: August 15, 2017
Processing time: 147 Days and 18.3 Hours
Peer-review started: March 20, 2017
First decision: May 9, 2017
Revised: May 22, 2017
Accepted: June 19, 2017
Article in press: June 20, 2017
Published online: August 15, 2017
Processing time: 147 Days and 18.3 Hours
Core Tip
Core tip: Nonobese nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is likely a different entity than obese NAFLD, with its unique genetic predisposition. NAFLD in the nonobese population has been increasingly reported and studied recently. It is associated with components of metabolic syndrome. Interestingly, even though non-obese NAFLD patients have normal weight ranges, weight loss remains the mainstay treatment and was found to be beneficial. Diagnosis and treatment are similar to the obese non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Further research is needed for better understanding of the genetic and environmental factors affecting the course of this specific entity.