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NAFLD

Predictive value of ALT levels for NASH and advanced fibrosis

With expanding waistlines, the prevalence of NAFLD has burgeoned to become the leading cause of chronic liver disease in the USA. A subset of patients with NAFLD meet criteria for NASH with its inherent risk of progression to cirrhosis. Verma et al. addressed the utility of alanine aminotransferase levels for predicting NASH or advanced fibrosis to decide who would benefit from the definitive test of liver biopsy.

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Figure 1: Algorithm for performing liver biopsy in patients with NAFLD.

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Acknowledgements

The view(s) expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the official policy or position of San Antonio Military Medical Center, the U.S. Army Medical Department, the U.S. Army Office of the Surgeon General, the Department of the Army, Department of Defense or the U.S. Government.

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Correspondence to Stephen A. Harrison.

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Torres, D., Harrison, S. Predictive value of ALT levels for NASH and advanced fibrosis. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 10, 510–511 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2013.138

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