Diagnosing Fatty Liver and Chronic Kidney Disease ?

Does Diagnosing Fatty Liver and Chronic Kidney Disease Do More Good Than Harm?

• Druin Burch mail

• Published: July 22, 2014
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1001681

Linked Research Article

This Perspective discusses the following new study published in PLOS Medicine:

Musso G, Gambino R, Tabibian JH, Ekstedt M, Kechagias S, et al. (2014) Association of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease with Chronic Kidney Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. PLoS Med 11(7): e1001680. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001680

In a systematic review and meta-analysis, Giovanni Musso and colleagues examine the association between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and chronic kidney disease.

In this week's issue of PLOS Medicine, Musso and colleagues report that two conditions, both occupying increasing amounts of medical attention, may be linked [1]. Their paper demonstrates that non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) even after adjustment for major shared risk factors. “Future research,” they write, “should evaluate strategies and interventions to prevent renal disease progression in individuals with NAFLD.” It's a conclusion that is both reasonable and potentially helpful./.../