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World J Respirol. Jul 28, 2014; 4(2): 11-18
Published online Jul 28, 2014. doi: 10.5320/wjr.v4.i2.11
Sleep apnea and fatty liver disease: The growing link and management issues
Surya Prakash Bhatt, Randeep Guleria
Surya Prakash Bhatt, Randeep Guleria, Department of Pulmonary Medicine and Sleep Disorders, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi 110029, India
Author contributions: Bhatt SP and Guleria R both contributed to this paper.
Correspondence to: Surya Prakash Bhatt, PhD, Senior Research Scientist, Department of Pulmonary Medicine and Sleep Disorders, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar East, Gautam Nagar, New Delhi 110029, India. suryabhat@gmail.com
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Received: November 12, 2013
Revised: December 27, 2013
Accepted: March 13, 2014
Published online: July 28, 2014
Processing time: 255 Days and 2.2 Hours
Core Tip

Core tip: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in animals and humans. Importantly, OSA can aggravate the development of NAFLD to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in obese individuals. OSA has also been linked to other features of the metabolic syndrome, including dyslipidemia, insulin resistance and hypertension. A wide variety of intermediate phenotypes and genes are involved in sleep apnea and fatty liver which makes this syndrome genetically complex. Lifestyle intervention should be first line treatment for all NAFLD and OSA patients. Several drugs aim to improve metabolic syndrome but need further investigation. Bariatric surgery may improve conditions associated with metabolic syndrome, OSA and NAFLD in the morbidly obese.