Pathogenesis and research progress of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease/nonalcoholic steatohepatitis

In this editorial, we comment on the article by Mei et al. Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a severe inflammatory subtype of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) with pathological features including steatosis, hepatocellular damage, and varying degrees of fibrosis. With the epidemic of metabolic diseases and obesity, the prevalence of NAFLD in China has increased, and it is now similar to that in developed countries; thus, NAFLD has become a major chronic liver disease in China. Human epidemiological data suggest that estrogen has a protective effect on NASH in premenopausal women and that sex hormones influence the development of liver disease. This review focuses on the pathogenesis, treatment, and relationship between NASH and other diseases as well as on the relationship between NASH and sex hormone metabolism, with the aim of providing new strategies for the treatment of NASH.