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Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2011; 34: 274–285

Background  Non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common cause of chronic liver disease, and its worldwide prevalence continues to increase with the growing obesity epidemic. This study assesses the epidemiology of NAFLD in adults based on clinical literature published over the past 30 years.

Aim  To review epidemiology and natural history of non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease and non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis in adults based on clinical literature published over the past 30 years.

Methods  An in‐depth search of PubMed (1980–2010) was based on five search terms: ‘non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease’ OR ‘non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis’ OR ‘fatty liver’ OR ‘steatosis’ AND ‘incidence’ [MeSH Terms] OR ‘prevalence’ [MeSH Terms] OR ‘natural history’. Studies of paediatric cohorts were excluded. Articles were categorised by topic and summarised …