Non Alcoholic Steatohepatitis in Relation to Visceral and Subcutaneous Fat

Non alcoholic fatty liver disease is one of the most common causes of chronic liver disease world wide . Severe forms of NAFLD such as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis can progress to end-stage liver disease such as cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma. Therefore, investigating risk factors associated with hepatic steatosis is required to perform effective screening .

Hepatic steatosis develops for a variety reasons but obesity is the most common associated condition.

Obesity is considered a gateway disease and NAFLD is considered to be one of the phenotypes of metabolic syndrome, which is characterized by obesity with visceral fat accumulation, diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidemia.

Individuals with severe obesity have a disproportionately high risk of comorbidities including nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

The distribution of fat appears more important than the total fat mass in obesity .A predominantly upper body fat distribution increases the risks for the metabolic complications of obesity including hepatic steatosis especially when it is associated with increased intra abdominal fat .