Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease - a growing public health problem

Over the past years, the global burden of chronic liver diseases (CLDs) has been steadily increasing, irrespective of age, sex, region, or race. The European Union (EU) countries have the highest CLDs burden in the world, with almost 30 million people suffering from CLDs (1,2). Unrecognized and often untreated, CLDs may progress to more advanced stages, such as cirrhosis, liver failure, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Global and country-specific estimates of the disability-adjusted life years and years of life lost place cirrhosis within the top 20 causes (1).