Prevalence and Severity of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Among Caregivers of Patients With Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Cirrhosis.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease, affecting nearly 1 in 3 Americans. Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), the clinically aggressive variant of NAFLD, has a propensity of fibrosis progression and increased risk of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. NASH-related cirrhosis is now the most rapidly growing indication for liver transplantation (LT). Disease recurrence and progression to advanced fibrosis after LT are high; however, the key contributors of these are unknown. We hypothesized that patients with NASH cirrhosis reside in a microenvironment conducive to not only development of NASH but also fibrosis progression, which likely persist after LT and contribute to disease recurrence. The hypothesis was tested by performing vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE) in primary caregivers and cohabitants of patients with decompensated cirrhosis awaiting LT.