Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Morbidly Obese Patients

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with obesity, but current data cannot pinpoint the prevalence of NAFLD and, more specifically, of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) among obese patients. In this case series, researchers evaluated the prevalence of NAFLD and NASH in a group of 97 morbidly obese patients (body-mass index, ≥40 kg/m²; mean age, 39; 83% women; 40% black; 25% Hispanic) who were awaiting Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery. No patients had chronic liver disease of any other etiology, used medications that cause steatosis, or used alcohol (>40 g daily). Pre-surgery anthropometric measurements, biochemical and metabolic measurements (including insulin resistance), and intraoperative liver biopsies were performed…