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NASH: The Ethical Dilemma

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Contemporary Liver Transplantation

Part of the book series: Organ and Tissue Transplantation ((OTT))

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Abstract

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, the hepatic manifestation of the metabolic syndrome, is a disease whereby increasing steatosis can potentially lead to steatohepatititis or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Continuing inflammation may lead to cirrhosis in as many as 25 % of patients. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is considered to be the most common form of chronic liver disease, and current population trends dictate that more patients will need liver transplants for this disease. While overall survival outcomes are equivalent to other forms of liver disease, this may at least partly be a result of current screening of patients which eliminates those patients who have the most risk factors for cardiovascular disease, the most common cause of poor outcomes following liver transplant in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Immunosuppression may accelerate recurrence of the metabolic syndrome and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis post transplant.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lankenau Medical Center, Wynnewood, PA, USA

    Laura Connor

  2. Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Lankenau Medical Center, Wynnewood, PA, USA

    Scott Andrew Fink

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  1. Laura Connor
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  2. Scott Andrew Fink
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Correspondence to Laura Connor .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Nicoletti Family Professor of Transplant Surgery, Director, Jefferson Transplant Institute, Director, Division of Transplantation, Surgical Director, Kimmel Cancer Center – Jefferson Liver Tumor Center, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

    Cataldo Doria

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Connor, L., Fink, S.A. (2017). NASH: The Ethical Dilemma. In: Doria, C. (eds) Contemporary Liver Transplantation. Organ and Tissue Transplantation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-07209-8_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-07209-8_15

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