Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a clinicopathologic condition characterized by abnormal lipid deposition in hepatocytes in the absence of excess alcohol intake. NAFLD is widely recognized as the most frequent etiology of chronically elevated aminotransferases among adults and children in the United States, reflecting rising obesity rates.1"3 NAFLD comprises a spectrum of diseases, ranging from simple hepatic steatosis to steatosis in association with necroinflammation (Fig. 1) and fibrosis (nonalcoholic ste-atohepatitis, NASH; Fig. 2) to cirrhosis.
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