Surfing the MASH Tsunami
Driving the Discussion in Fatty Liver Disease. Join hepatology researcher and Key Opinion Leader Jörn Schattenberg, Liver Wellness Advocate Louise Campbell, and Forecasting and Pricing Guru Roger Green and a global group of Key Opinion Leaders and patient advocates as they discuss key issues in Fatty Liver disease, including epidemiology, drug development, clinical pathways, non-invasive testing, health economics and regulatory issues, from their own unique perspectives on the Surfing the MASH Tsunami podcast. #MASH #MAFLD #FattyLiver #livertwitter #AASLD #GlobalLiver #NoNASH #EASL
Surfing the MASH Tsunami
S4-E10.1 - Increasing Incidence of Pediatric and Adolescent Fatty Liver
In yet another topical debut, Surfing NASH explores pediatric and adolescent Fatty Liver disease, its alarming prevalence and developing the field's understanding around how to treat this vulnerable subpopulation. The Surfers are joined in discussion by Naim Alkhouri and chief of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Rohit Kohli for a special session which illuminates a critical issue intimate to the two extremely knowledgeable guests.
Roger Green prefaces this conversation with the observation that as a pandemic of Fatty Liver disease grows at boggling speed, so too does NAFLD and NASH in younger populations. While this recognition may in part be attributed to improved methodologies, it is evident that lifestyle norms around diet and exercise continue to exacerbate the problem. Rohit expands on the notion that an environmental shift has contributed to the dilemma, referring to the emergence of accessible, low cost, calorically-loaded processed foods that are not only to be available at home but also within schools. He refers to a study of a controlled cohort on incidence of NAFLD in children from 2009-2018. Strikingly, it was determined that the incidence of NAFLD diagnosis significantly increased over time from 36.0 per 100,000 in 2009 to 58.2 per 100,000 in 2018 (P < .0001). Still, many children may remain undiagnosed. Roger comments on the potential of geopolitical events during this study that could influence shift of a nutritional landscape.
Naim adds that estimates around prevalence also increase when considering adolescents as opposed to children. He highlights that 17-25% of adolescents are suffering from “not just NAFLD, but actually NASH and significant fibrosis.” A combination of genetic backgrounds and complicating conditions ranging from obesity to sleep apnea are entangled with disease progression. Lastly, Naim shares a sobering anecdote from his clinic of a 13 year-old patient with biopsy-proven cirrhosis.
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Stay Safe and Surf On!