Patients with NAFLD were recruited in the current study and divided into NAFLD group, and NASH group. The researchers will collect various clinical examination indexes of the subjects in the process of diagnosis and treatment, including but not limited to ALT, AST, TG, TC, etc. Characteristic and prognosis of patients will be recorded. The serum, feces, urine and liver (if necessary) samples of all subjects will be taken after enrollment and stored for probably testing in the future. This study has no additional intervention and treatment for subjects.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common condition affecting the liver, owing to its association with obesity and the metabolic syndrome. The largest study to date using magnetic resonance spectroscopy to quantify liver triglyceride (TG) content showed that approximately 33% of individuals have hepatic steatosis. NAFLD encompasses a continuum of histological findings that starts with steatosis that can progress to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which is characterized by inflammation and cell death, and eventually cirrhosis. Given the large number of individuals afflicted with this condition, there is a clear need to develop effective and safe therapies to treat NAFLD.