Copyright
©2014 Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jul 7, 2014; 20(25): 8102-8109
Published online Jul 7, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i25.8102
Published online Jul 7, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i25.8102
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and thyroid dysfunction: A systematic review
Ahad Eshraghian, Department of Internal Medicine, Namazi hospital, Shiraz University of medical sciences, PO Box 71345-1744 Shiraz, Iran
Alireza Hamidian Jahromi, Department of Surgery, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, LA 70803, United States
Author contributions: Eshraghian A developed the concept of the study, performed the literature review, and participated in the critical appraisal, and writing of the article; Hamidian Jahromi A contributed in revising, language editing and final approval of the article.
Correspondence to: Ahad Eshraghian, MD, Department of Internal Medicine, Namazi hospital, Shiraz University of medical sciences, PO Box 71345-1744 Shiraz, Iran. eshraghiana@yahoo.com
Telephone: +98-711-6125600 Fax: +98-711-6276212
Received: November 19, 2013
Revised: March 31, 2014
Accepted: April 28, 2014
Published online: July 7, 2014
Revised: March 31, 2014
Accepted: April 28, 2014
Published online: July 7, 2014
Core Tip
Core tip: Thyroid hormones help regulate of body weight, lipid metabolism, and insulin resistance. Therefore, thyroid hormones may have a role in the pathogenesis of non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Following a systematic review of human studies in the English language medical literature, eleven articles were found to address this relationship. Hypothyroidism appears to be an independent risk factor for NAFLD/NASH in some studies; however, other studies failed to find such an association. As the results of these studies are not consistent, further research is recommended to determine the relationship hypothyroidism and NAFLD/NASH and the underlying mechanisms.