College of Nursing, Hangzhou Normal University, Zhejiang, China.
School of Public Health, Hangzhou Normal University, Zhejiang, China.
Clin Transl Gastroenterol. 2023 Apr 1;14(4):e00575. doi: 10.14309/ctg.0000000000000575.
The increased prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) worldwide is particularly worrisome, as no medication has been approved to treat the disease. Lifestyle modifications aimed at promoting weight loss and weight maintenance remain the current first-line treatment for NAFLD. However, due to the lack of standard and scientific guidance and out-of-hospital supervision, long-term outcomes of lifestyle interventions for patients with NAFLD are often unsatisfactory. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic aggravated this dilemma. At the same time, digital therapeutics (DTx) are expected to be a new method for the convenient management and treatment of patients with NAFLD and are attracting a great deal of attention. DTx, which provide evidence-based medicine through software programs for remote intervention in preventing, treating, or managing diseases, overcome the drawbacks of traditional treatment. The efficacy of the approach has already been demonstrated for some chronic diseases, but DTx have not been fully developed for NAFLD. This study reviews the concepts, clinical value, and practical applications related to DTx, with an emphasis on recommendations based on unmet needs for NAFLD. A better understanding of the current state will help clinicians and researchers develop high-quality, standardized, and efficient DTx products, with the aim of optimizing the prognosis of patients with NAFLD.
全球范围内非酒精性脂肪性肝病（NAFLD）的患病率不断增加，令人尤为担忧，因为目前尚无药物被批准用于治疗该疾病。旨在促进减肥和维持体重的生活方式改变仍然是 NAFLD 的当前一线治疗方法。然而，由于缺乏标准和科学的指导以及院外监督，NAFLD 患者生活方式干预的长期效果往往不尽如人意。此外，COVID-19 大流行加剧了这一困境。与此同时，数字疗法（DTx）有望成为一种方便管理和治疗 NAFLD 患者的新方法，引起了广泛关注。DTx 通过软件程序为远程预防、治疗或管理疾病提供循证医学，克服了传统治疗的缺点。该方法已在一些慢性病中证明有效，但 DTx 尚未完全针对 NAFLD 开发。本研究综述了与 DTx 相关的概念、临床价值和实际应用，重点介绍了基于 NAFLD 未满足需求的建议。更好地了解现状将有助于临床医生和研究人员开发高质量、标准化和高效的 DTx 产品，旨在优化 NAFLD 患者的预后。
