Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (
NAFLD) is a disease characterized by a steatosis of the liver that may progress to more serious pathological conditions including:
nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH),
fibrosis, and
cirrhosis. As the prevalence of
NAFLD has increased worldwide in recent years, pathophysiology and risk factors associated with
disease progression of
NAFLD are at the focus of many studies.
NAFLD is related to and shares common serum
biomarkers with
cardiovascular disease (CVD),
type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM),
obesity, and
metabolic syndrome (MetS). West Virginia (WV) is a state with some of the highest rates of CVD,
obesity and
diabetes mellitus. As
NAFLD is closely related to these diseases, it is of particular interest in WV. Currently there is no cost-effective, standardized method used clinically to detect
NAFLD prior to the onset of reversible complications. At this time, the diagnosis of
NAFLD is made with costly radiologic studies and invasive biopsy. These studies are only diagnostic once changes to hepatic tissue have occurred. The diagnosis of
NAFLD by traditional methods may not allow for successful intervention and may not be readily available in areas with already sparse medical resources. In this literature review, we identify a list of
biomarkers common among CVD, T2DM,
obesity, MetS and
NAFLD. From this research we propose the following
biomarkers are good candidates for inclusion in a panel of
biomarkers for the early detection of
NAFLD:
adiponectin, AST, ALT,
apo-B, CK18, CPS1, CRP, FABP-1,
ferritin, GGT,
GRP78, HDL-C,
IGF-1, IL-1β, 6, 8, 10, IRS-2PAI-1,
leptin,
lumican, MDA
SREBP-1c and TNF-α. Creating and implementing a
biomarker panel for the early detection and attenuation of
NAFLD, prior to the onset of irreversible complication would provide maximum benefit and decrease the disease burden on the patients and healthcare system of WV.