ABSTRACT
NAFLD is considered the hepatic complication of T2D and the metabolic syndrome. There is a complex, bidirectional and mutually detrimental relationship mediated through insulin resistance, visceral adiposity and lipotoxicity. Although disease awareness is low among patients and providers, there is a growing understanding that NAFLD has broad cardiometabolic, hepatic and neoplastic repercussions. NAFLD is associated with other endocrinopathies including type 1 diabetes, growth hormone deficiency, hypogonadism, hypothyroidism and polycystic ovary syndrome; however, the associations appear to be largely due to increased insulin resistance and visceral adiposity, in some cases, a consequence of the underlying endocrinopathy.
