First-Degree Relatives of Patients with NAFLD at Risk of Liver Disease
In a new study, researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine found that first-degree relatives of patients with NAFLD characterized by advanced fibrosis are at a 15% risk of developing the condition.
“Until now, first-degree relatives accompanying their loved ones with liver disease for medical treatment didn’t know they were at a greater risk of developing advanced fibrosis themselves,” said Rohit Loomba, MD, the study’s first author, professor in the Division of Gastroenterology at UC San Diego School of Medicine and director of hepatology at UC San Diego Health.
The results, published in the online edition of Journal of Clinical Investigation, shine a spotlight on the importance of early screening of both siblings and offspring of patients with NAFLD. More from the UC San Diego Newsroom