NAFLD/NASH Diagnosis is Unexpected to People Not Aware of This Rising Epidemic

LONDON, Nov. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- If like many of us you are planning to feast on a huge roast turkey dinner this Thanksgiving, you might want to check your portion size. A market research study recently conducted by global agency Research Partnership among US patients with NAFLD/NASH reveals that diagnosis is unexpected, as often this disease of the liver doesn't have any outward symptoms.

NASH (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis) is an advanced form of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) brought about by an accumulation of fat in the liver. People who are obese or have type-2 diabetes are at most risk of developing the condition. It gets worse over time, with 25% of patients progressing to cirrhosis of the liver and around 10% of patients developing liver failure. There is currently no cure, although a number of pharmaceutical companies do have drugs in development. Doctors can only recommend managing the disease by maintaining a healthy diet, cutting down on alcohol and exercising regularly.

NASH was first identified in the 1980s and has grown rapidly in line with NAFLD, now one of the most common liver diseases worldwide. These trends reflect a growing global epidemic of type-2 diabetes and obesity. In the US, where over two in three adults are considered overweight or obese, NAFLD and NASH are on the rise - around 20% of the US population has NAFLD and 3.5-5% of those patients have progressed to NASH.

The market research study, titled "Living with NASH", was conducted with over 100 patients in order to help pharmaceutical companies in their development of drug solutions. Typically, people with NASH are middle-aged with long-standing lifestyle conditions such as excess weight or obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and type-2 diabetes, and around a third of people are unable to work because of their health problems.

Around half of patients in the survey experienced no symptoms. If they did feel tired or had a dull aching stomach pain (common symptoms of NAFLD/NASH), then they often put this down to their other conditions. As a consequence, the diagnosis was often completely unexpected.

The way that diagnosis was handled (sometimes insensitively) and the speed of diagnosis (usually within a few months), coupled with the limited information available and lack of drug options left many patients feeling worried and confused. Because liver disease is often associated with heavy drinking, some people were shocked by the diagnosis. One patient in the survey commented, "I would like everyone to know you can get cirrhosis not just from alcohol, drugs and smoking, but from being too heavy. I would love it to be common knowledge."

While drug treatments may be available in the near future, these will be expensive and will likely add to the heavy treatment burden commonly experienced by at-risk patients. Food for thought if you are considering tucking into a third slice of pumpkin pie on Thursday.

For more information about living with NASH, download this infographic. Please contact your doctor if you believe you are at risk of NAFLD or NASH.

Media Contact:
Julie Denny
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00442080695006

SOURCE Research Partnership