Clinical Presentation and Patient Evaluation in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a diagnosis of exclusion. Most patients are asymptomatic and diagnosed incidentally. Most patients remain undiagnosed. A high index of suspicion and serologic work-up to rule out alternative causes of liver disease is required. In NALFD, fibrosis correlates with outcomes, including mortality. To diagnose, assess severity, and monitor fibrosis, 2 noninvasive methods can be used. However, noninvasive tests are more helpful at extremes of fibrosis: excluding it or diagnosing advanced fibrosis. Liver biopsy is usually reserved for cases whereby noninvasive tests fail to accurately determine the degree of fibrosis or the diagnosis is unclear.