Hepatitis C Virus Cure and Obesity: Watch the Weight

Excerpt

Obesity has reached an astounding prevalence in the general population, and the burden of disease worsens with increasing age. Through unclear mechanisms, greater body mass index (BMI) is associated with an increased rate of death from all causes even when accounting for confounders such as smoking history or presence of comorbid illness.¹ Obesity is the primary risk factor for the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is becoming the most common cause of chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) as well as the leading indication for liver transplantation in the U.S. Development of concomitant NAFLD is associated with more rapid progression of hepatic fibrosis in patients with other causes of liver disease, including chronic viral hepatitis and alcoholic liver disease. …