Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a review of physiology, treatments, and market outlook

Abstract

The liver is a multifunctional organ with a wide variety of roles in the body; it is highly vascularized, and 25% of cardiac output is directed toward the liver. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD is diagnosed when liver cells are injured as a result of fat buildup. People with NAFLD are at greater risk of having the disease progress to hepatis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. The purpose of this review is to discuss the physiology, available treatments, and market for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD has increased in frequency around the world in the last 20 years, and this trend is predicted to continue into the future. The best known treatment for NAFLD is liver transplantation, but only a fifth of the patients who need treatment are provided with a donor liver. One alternative to a liver transplantation is the use of an artificial liver support system, which uses a variety of dialytic techniques to treat the blood plasma outside the body. Researchers are currently in the process of building bioartificial livers and chemically derived drugs to help reduce the effects of NAFLD, which can range from liver cancer to cirrhosis. While the list of treatments for NAFLD is limited, there is great potential for the industry to grow exponentially once additional treatments are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).