Longitudinal Observational Study Of Chinese With NAFLD/NASH

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an excess accumulation of fat in the liver cells. It is associated with obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. Some people with NAFLD only have excess fat in the liver. However, other people may develop a worse form of NAFLD with liver injury and scarring. This form, called non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), can lead to liver failure, liver cancer, and death. Not much is known about why some people develop NASH and others do not.

This study aims to determine and elucidate, through the cooperative effort of a multidisciplinary and multicenter group of collaborators, the etiology, natural history, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of NAFLD, and in particular its more severe form of NASH and its complications in Chinese subjects.

Inclusion criteria

• Males or females aged 18 and older;
• Adults being managed or treated for NAFL or NASH;
• Be able to communicate meaningfully with the Investigator and be legally competent to provide written informed consent.

Exclusion criteria

• Incompetent to understand and/or sign the informed consent;
• Ethanol consumption exceeding more than 14 standard beverages per week for males and more than 7 standard beverages per week for female;
• Causes for secondary hepatic fat accumulation such as significant alcohol consumption, medications, Wilson's disease, viral infections, starvation or parenteral nutrition, among others, and conditions associated with microvesicular steatosis
• Diagnosis of liver cirrhosis and/or hepatocellular carcinoma;
• Diagnosis of chronic inflammatory disease (i.e. inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory lung disease, severe infectious diseases), other than NAFL/NASH.