NAFLD is a disease in which fat accumulates in liver cells, which can lead to serious complications such as cirrhosis or cancer. The disease often goes unnoticed, as it does not cause vivid symptoms in the early stages. Its prevalence among the adult population reaches 25%. The main risk factors are obesity, overweight and metabolic disorders.

A new study conducted on the database of the British Biobank, which involved more than 36 thousand people, revealed two types of NAFLD with different characteristics. The first type mainly affects the liver itself, while unexpectedly reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases. The second type is more aggressive: it affects not only the liver, but also the kidneys, and also affects metabolism, increasing the risk of diabetes, writes gazeta.ru.

In addition, scientists have identified 27 new genes that play a role in the development of NAFLD. These data made it possible to develop two specific risk indicators for each type of disease, which will help doctors more accurately assess the prognosis and choose the best treatment methods depending on the characteristics of the patient.

According to scientists, their discovery may change the understanding of NAFLD, previously considered a single disease. Now medical specialists will be able to apply a more individualized approach to treatment: for the first type - an emphasis on diet and weight loss, for the second - complex therapy taking into account concomitant diseases such as diabetes or heart failure.